The amides are transformed into amines and carboxylic acids by treatment with aqueous soda under heating.

 
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Ethanamide [1] hydrolyzes in the presence of aqueous soda to form sodium ethanoate [2].
 
The reaction mechanism occurs in the following steps:
 
Stage 1 . nucleophile attack
 
hydrolysis-basic-amides
 
Stage 2 . Elimination
 
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Stage 3. Shifted acid-base balance.
 
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