Many efficient catalytic methods based on enzymes 6 and transition metals (Ni, Pt, Rh, Ir, Mo, Au, Cu, Co, Pd, Ru, Ag) 7 have been developed for hydration of nitriles. However, the necessity of special handling of microorganisms (enzymes), difficulty in catalyst/product separation, high temperature/pressure and use of costly transition metal complexes limit the scope of these methods. Hence, the development of metal free methods is highly desirable.
[Orihashi, Yuji; Nishikawa, Michinori; Ohno, Hiroyuki; Tsuchida, Eishun; Matsuda, Hiro; et al. Bulletin of the Chemical Society of Japan, 1987 , vol. 60, # 10 p. 3731 - 3738]