Nitriles are central intermediates in organic synthesis since they can be readily prepared by a number of methods and undergo further transformations into other functional groups. Using crude enzyme preparations or whole viable microbial cells, hydrolysis of nitriles to yield amides or carboxylic acids can be performed under mild conditions with low pollution and the absence of waste disposal problems. Additionally, it can also provide high chemoselectivity, regioselectivity and enantioselectivity which cannot ve achieved by conventional organic processes. This paper is to provide an overview on the great potentiality of nitrile converting enzymes for organic synthesis not only from an academic standpoint, but from a biotechnol, ogical point of view.

Key words: CYANO GROUP, HYDROLASE, AMIDASE, ORGANIC SYNTHESIS, CYANOGEN COMPOUNDS