Selective NaOH-catalysed hydration of aromatic nitriles to amides

Abstract

The selective synthesis of aromatic and heteroaromatic amides through base-catalysed hydration of nitriles was achieved using inexpensive and commercially available NaOH as the only catalyst. A wide range of nitriles was selectively converted to their corresponding amides. Kinetic studies show that the double hydration of nitriles towards undesirable carboxylic acids is negligible under our reaction conditions.