What is urea and what is the history of its origin? Why is it called where it is used? Let's try to figure it out.
Urea Discovery History
It turns out that it is directly related to urine. In 1773, the French chemist Hilaire Maren Rouel isolated it from human urine. Later, in 1828, the German chemist and physician Friedrich Wöhler obtained by evaporation of ammonium cyanate (NH
4 CNO) dissolved in water from an
inorganic substance an organic compound similar in its characteristics to urea. It is from this event that the history of organic chemistry begins, since the first organic compound was synthesized. Not every product of scientific research can boast that with its discovery a new science has appeared.
What is urea and where does it come from?
And yet, urea - what is it? This is a chemical compound that has a solid structure and is a scattering of odorless white or slightly colored crystalline granules. The urea formula is NH2CONH2. Its other name is urea. The substance is highly soluble in water. The result of combining carbamide with highly reactive mineral acids is salts.
To the question of what urea is, from the point of view of the physiology of the body, it can be answered that this is the final product of protein breakdown in mammals and fish. The biochemical composition of blood necessarily contains urea. The maximum norm of urea in the blood of children under 14 years old is 6.4 mmol / L; with age, the urea content in the blood increases to 7.5 mmol / L.
Urea is produced industrially by synthesis of carbon dioxide and ammonia according to the Bazarov reaction. Because of this, the production of urea is combined with the production of other ammonia-based products.
Why urea is needed
And what is urea in industry? For what purposes is it synthesized? In the industrial production of resins, adhesives used in the manufacture of fiberboard and in furniture production, urea grade A is used. Urea of the same grade is used in the oil industry to remove paraffin substances from oils and fuels. At the same time, soft paraffin is released, which is necessary in the production of protein-vitamin preparations, fatty acids and alcohols, and various detergents.
Another area of application of urea is the purification of nitrogen oxides from the outgoing smoke from thermal power plants, waste disposal plants, boiler houses, etc.
What is urea in the medical industry?
Urea refers to osmotic diuretics with a weak effect. It is a raw material for the manufacture of drugs that remove water from the human body (dehydration drugs). These drugs are necessary in the treatment of hydrocephalus, cerebral edema of various etiologies. In addition, urea is used for the manufacture of sleeping pills.
Urea did not miss its chance to participate in the food industry. Food supplement E927b - this is nothing but carbamide. It has foaming properties, acts as a flavoring and aromatic enhancer of food. Used in the manufacture of chewing gum, to improve the quality of flour and bakery products. When added to yeast dough, urea acts as a nutrient medium and nitrogen supplier for yeast cultures.
But the bulk of the urea received in our country (about 4 million tons per year is produced annually) goes to the needs of agriculture. Urea made from urea grade B fertilizer is an invaluable supplier of nitrogen, since it contains just over 46%. Despite the fact that urea is highly soluble in water, it itself absorbs water very reluctantly. This positive characteristic is very valuable and allows you to harvest fertilizer in large volumes, without fear that stockpiles are caked and turn into stone during storage. Urea has a high chemical activity and is very readily absorbed by plants. Urea is mainly used at the stages of pre-sowing treatment, when a plant is gaining green mass.