Description. So the liver converts the ammonia to a non-toxic compound, urea, which can then be safely transported in the blood to the kidneys, where it is eliminated in urine. These two materials are combined under high pressures and elevated temperatures to form ammonium carbamate, which then decomposes at much lower pressures to yield urea and water. Wohler wrote triumphantly to Berzelius: "I must tell you that I can make urea without the use of kidneys, either man or dog. Initially formed ammonia is first converted into urea in the liver cells and the formed urea is travelled through the blood stream to kidneys. Urea can react with formaldehyde to make the urea-formaldehyde resins, which are highly important in moulded plastics. This behaviour prevents the large molecules sticking together, and so can be used to separate mixtures, in, for example, the production of aviation fuel and lubricating oils. It is solid, colourless, and odourless (although the ammonia which it gives off in the presence of water, including water vapour in the air, has a … Urea is a remnant of protein breakdown which is performed by the liver. Ammonium cyanate is urea.". Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. With formaldehyde it gives methylene–urea fertilizers, which release nitrogen slowly, continuously, and uniformly, a full year’s supply being applied at one time. These amino acids are metabolised and converted in the liver to ammonia, CO2, water and energy. Urea is considered as the major organic component of humans. Urea has quite an interesting history. Urea is a waste product that the liver makes when it degrades proteins, both from the diet and from tissue protein turnover [ 1, 2, 3 ]. It is a very important starting material in a number of chemical syntheses, and is used on an industrial scale for the manufacture of fertilisers, pharmaceuticals and resins. The drug is on the WHO official list. The belief was that living organisms possessed an unknown 'vital force' that allowed them to fabricate organic chemicals, and since inanimate objects did not possess this force, they could neither create, nor be transformed into the chemicals of life. Its preparation by the German chemist Friedrich Wöhler from ammonium cyanate in 1828 was the first generally accepted laboratory synthesis of a naturally occurring organic compound from inorganic materials. The urea is then removed from the blood by the kidneys and transported to the urine. This discovery was very important, as this made urea the first organic compound to be synthesised from wholly inorganic starting materials. Naturally, the compound is produced when the liver breaks down protein or amino acids, and ammonia; the kidneys then transfer the … Although urea is naturally produced in humans and animals, synthetic urea … Its formula is H2NCONH2. Urea (also known as carbamide) is a waste product of many living organisms, and is the major organic component of human urine. It is produced at the initial stage in the liver as a result of amino acid metabolism. Black Friday Sale! Urea serves an important role in the metabolism of nitrogen-containing compounds by animals and is the main nitrogen-containing substance in the urine of mammals. It is a colourless, crystalline substance that melts at 132.7° C (271° F) and decomposes before boiling. Urea has important uses as a fertilizer and feed supplement, as well as a starting material for the manufacture of plastics and drugs. The bulk of it, about 10 g each day, is eliminated by the kidneys [ 3 ]. Any condition which impairs the elimination of urea by the kidneys can lead to uremia, a buildup of urea and other nitrogen wastes in the blood that can be fatal. urea [u-re´ah] 1. the diamide of carbonic acid found in urine, blood, and lymph, the chief nitrogenous constituent of urine, and the chief nitrogenous end-product of protein metabolism; it is formed in the … By the time of his arrival in Kassel, he had already gained international renown from two pathbreaking…, …the liver and excreted as urea, a readily soluble and harmless product. Urea is the chief nitrogenous end product of the metabolic breakdown of proteins in all mammals and some fishes. Urea is also used in the production of urethanes, which are then polymerised to form polyurethane foams. This is because it is at the end of chain of reactions which break down the amino acids that make up proteins. For example, because of its high nitrogen content, urea is often used as a component of agricultural fertilizers. Urea reacts with alcohols to form urethanes and with malonic esters to give barbituric acids. material, which proved identical to urea obtained from urine. For example, urea is one of the precursors to the various barbiturates, which are widely used as sedatives and sleeping pills. This is because it is at the end of chain of reactions which break down the amino acids that make up proteins. In effect, he had shown that we are made of the same materials as the rest of Nature, and are therefore a part of the world around us. An inexpensive compound, it is incorporated in mixed fertilizers as well as being applied alone to the soil or sprayed on foliage. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Urea can be used as an osmotic diuretic and as a cream for ICTHYOSIS and other hyperkeratotic skin disorders. It increases moisture in the skin by softening/dissolving the horny substance (keratin) holding the top layer of skin cells together. As urea goes stale, bacteria convert it back into ammonia, which gives the familiar pungent smell of lavatories. In 1825 Wöhler was hired at the new Berlin Gewerbeschule (trade school), and in 1831 he moved to the Technische Hochschule (institute of technology) in Kassel. Also, urea has the ability to weakly bond to many large organic compounds, surrounding them in an inert 'shell' and so inhibiting intermolecular hydrogen bonding. As the major organic component of humans broken down with formaldehyde to make resin... About 10 g each day [ 3 ] combines with other chemicals in manufacture..., water and energy added silver cyanate to ammonium chloride solution he a! Eliminated by the kidneys and transported to the soil or sprayed on foliage Encyclopaedia! 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