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

## TL;DR

This paper reviews recent progress in using metal-based catalysts to convert nitriles into amides, a key step in making important chemical compounds for drugs and proteins.

## Contribution

The paper provides an updated overview of both homogeneous and heterogeneous metal catalysts for nitrile hydration, along with mechanistic insights from theoretical studies.

## Key findings

- Metal-catalyzed hydration of nitriles is a cost-effective method for amide synthesis.
- Both homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts have shown success in this transformation.
- Density functional theory calculations help explain the catalytic mechanism.

## Abstract

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.

Amide vital functional group plays a key role in the composition of amide‐containing compounds, including peptides, proteins, and amino acids. Demand for innovative amide derivatives grows due to their crucial role in drug development. A cost‐effective method uses metal‐catalyzed hydration of nitriles to amides. This review covers the most recent homogeneous and heterogeneous catalytic systems in the hydration of nitriles to amides, with an overview on their mechanistic aspects.© 2025 WILEY‐VCH GmbH