$re = '/\$\$((?:(?!\$\$).)*)\$\$/';
$str = '$$ f\'(x) = 12x^2 + 4x $$ $$ f\'(x) = 12x+2x-12 $$ $$ f\'(x) = 12x^3 +4x^2 $$';
$subst = "\\($1\\)";
$result = preg_replace($re, $subst, $str);
echo "The result of the substitution is ".$result;
Please keep in mind that these code samples are automatically generated and are not guaranteed to work. If you find any syntax errors, feel free to submit a bug report. For a full regex reference for PHP, please visit: http://php.net/manual/en/ref.pcre.php