Copper(II)-catalyzed hydration of nitriles with the aid of acetaldoxime

An efficient method for the selective hydration of nitrile to amide by employing inexpensive copper salt catalyst and commercially available acetaldoxime in environmentally friendly water is described. Under this protocol, nitriles including aromatic nitriles, heterocyclic nitriles and aliphatic nitriles were converted into the corresponding amides in good to excellent yields.