Geminal diol

A geminal diol (or gem-diol for short) is any organic compound having two hydroxyl functional groups (−OH) bound to the same carbon atom. Geminal diols are a subclass of the diols, which in turn are a special class of alcohols. Most of the geminal diols are considered unstable.

The simplest geminal diol is methanediol CH4O2 or H2C(OH)2. Other examples are:

  • dihydroxymalinic acid (HOOC)2C(OH)2
  • decahydroxycyclopentane (C(OH)2)5
  • chloral hydrate (Cl3C)HC(OH)2
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