Access to <i>α</i> ‐ and <i>β</i> ‐Hydroxyamides and Ureas Through Metal‐Catalyzed C≡N Bond Hydration and Transfer Hydration Reactions

Abstract The hydration of nitriles is an important transformation because the resulting primary amides present a huge number applications in synthetic organic chemistry, as well industrial and pharmaceutical interest. Metallic compounds (complexes, oxides, nanoparticles) are known to catalyze by activating nitrile substrate, water molecule, or both partners, upon coordination. In this Minireview article, application metal‐based catalysts α ‐ β ‐hydroxynitriles cyanamides comprehensively discussed. Compared more classical organonitriles, little attention has been paid these particular class substrates despite relevance respective carboxamides, i. e. ‐/ ‐hydroxyamides ureas. Transfer strategies, which surrogate employed convert C≡N group into C(=O)NH 2 one, also covered.