What is "isoprenol"

Isoprenol, also known as 3-methylbut-3-en-1-ol, is a hemiterpene alcohol. It is produced industrially as an intermediate to 3-methylbut-2-en-1-ol (prenol): global production in 2001 can be estimated as 6–13 thousand tons.

Isoprenol is produced by the reaction between isobutene (2-methylpropene) and formaldehyde. The thermodynamically preferred isomer with the more substituted double bond cannot be directly formed in this reaction, but isomerization yields the desired product: The reaction is catalyzed by any species which can form an allyl complex without excessive hydrogenation of the substrate, for example poisoned palladium catalysts.