An efficient hydration of nitriles to amides in aqueous media by hydrotalcite-clay supported nickel nanoparticles

Hydrotalcite-clay supported nickel nanoparticles catalyze hydration of nitriles to amides in aqueous media. This Ni NPs/HT system is efficient for the synthesis of a diverse range of amides and affords the expected products with good yields in aqueous media. The synthesized nickel nanoparticles are characterized by UV-DRS, powder XRD. SEM and HRTEM. The catalyst is reused at least three times and a plausible mechanism is proposed. This fast, simple, effective and environmentally benign heterogeneous protocol provides a safer alternative to hazardous, corrosive and more polluting conventional catalysts. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.