New Trends in the Hydration of Nitriles

The advances in the hydration of nitrile ligands in complexes with various central ions, in the employment of complexes as homogeneous catalysts of the hydration of nitriles, and in the addition of water to the nitrile group in the presence of manganese(IV) oxide and other metal oxides as well as catalysts containing metallic copper and other metals are examined. The conditions in the synthesis of amides, the influence of the structure of the starting materials on the mode of reaction and on the side reactions accompanying hydration, the reaction mechanisms, and the practical value of individual pathways leading to the conversion of nitriles into amides are discussed.
The bibliography includes 123 references.