A simple and an eco-friendly process for the hydration of 3-cyanopyridine to nicotinamide in the presence of manganese dioxide catalyst has been described. The reaction is conducted at moderate temperature with the reaction times of 5-8 h using an aqueous solution of 3-cyanopyridine. The effect of various reaction parameters on the yield of nicotinamide was studied. In most instances, nearly quantitative yields of amides are obtained without any by-products. The IR and ESCA findings of the catalysts are correlated with the catalytic activity. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.