Bimetallic Au–Pd nanoparticles supported on silica with a tunable core@shell structure: enhanced catalytic activity of Pd(core)–Au(shell) over Au(core)–Pd(shell)

are other advantages of our system. A kinetic study has also been performed for the nitrile hydration reaction which demonstrates first order kinetics. Evaluation of rate constants along with a brief investigation on the Hammett parameters has also been presented.