An efficient hydration of nitriles with ruthenium-supported heterogeneous catalyst in water under moderate conditions

Abstract

Abstract A facile eco-friendly heterogeneous catalytic system has been developed for amide synthesis that further utilized in pharmaceutical and organic chemistry. The Ru/MnO2 catalyst has shown outstanding and unprecedented activity for a wide range of aliphatic and benzylic nitriles in green solvent water at 60\u2009°C. The system has also exhibited a remarkable tolerance for selective hydration of heteroatom (e.g. nitrogen, oxygen and sulphur atoms) containing nitriles. Pharmaceutically important nicotinamides and pyrazinamide has been synthesized by hydration of the heteroatomic nitriles with appreciable yields and selectivities. Moreover, the Ru/MnO2 catalyst has employed water as a benign solvent, with more than 30,000 TONs and reusability five times after isolation from the reaction mixture by centrifugation and easy workup that established a path for green environmental and technologically acceptable protocol.