Mesoporous cerium oxide (CeO2) nanoparticles act as an effective heterogeneous catalyst for the transamidation reaction of amides with amines. The mesoporous CeO2 nanoparticles were prepared by hydrothermal method using different cerium precursor such as: cerium(III)
chloride heptahydrate [CeCl3 · 7H2O], cerium nitrate hexahydrate [Ce(NO3)3 · 6H2O], ceric ammonium nitrate [(NH4)2Ce(NO3)6], and cerium(III) acetate [Ce(C2H3O2)3
· 1.5H2O]. It shows highest catalytic activity for transamidation of acetamide with