Recent Advances in Metal-Based Catalysts for Nitrile Hydration to Amides: Mechanistic Aspects

The synthesis of amide building blocks is crucial for producing diverse amide-containing compounds such as peptides, proteins, and amino acids. The demand for innovative methods of amide bond derivatives, considered as vital nonclassical bioisosteres, is steadily increasing because of its pivotal role in drug development. A highly cost-effective and efficient approach for generating amide functional groups involves the metal-catalyzed hydration of nitriles, offering profound implications for both academic and industrial sectors. This review explores the recent successful catalytic systems, encompassing both homogeneous and heterogeneous solid catalysts that enhance the catalytic transformation of nitriles into amides. Furthermore, theoretical studies employing density functional theory calculations to elucidate the cooperative mechanism between the catalyst and the carbon-nitrogen bond in nitriles are overviewed.