What is urea and what is the history of its origin? Why is it called that, where is it used? Let's try to figure it out.
History of the discovery of urea
It turns out that it is directly related to urine. In 1773, the French chemist Hilaire Marin Ruel isolated it from human urine. Later, in 1828, the German chemist and physician Friedrich Wöhler, by evaporating ammonium cyanate (NH4CNO) dissolved in water, obtained an organic compound from an inorganic substance, similar in its characteristics to urea. It is from this event that the history of organic chemistry begins, since for the first time an organic compound was obtained synthetically. Not every product of scientific research can boast that a new science has appeared with its discovery.
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 white or slightly colored odorless crystalline granules. The formula for urea is NH2CONH2. Its other name is urea. The substance is highly soluble in water. The result of the combination of carbamide with highly reactive mineral acids are s alts. When asked whetherwhat is urea, from the point of view of the physiology of the body, it can be answered that it is the end product of protein breakdown in mammals and fish. The biochemical composition of blood necessarily contains urea. The maximum rate of urea in the blood of children under 14 years old is 6.4 mmol / l, with age, the content of urea in the blood increases to 7.5 mmol / l.
Urea is obtained industrially by the synthesis of carbon dioxide and ammonia by the Bazarov reaction. Because of this, the production of urea is combined with the production of other products based on ammonia.
Why do we need urea
And what is urea in industry? For what purpose is it synthesized? In the industrial production of resins, adhesives used in the production 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 and vitamin products, fatty acids and alcohols, and various detergents.
Another area of application of urea is the purification of nitrogen oxides from smoke coming out of thermal power plants, waste disposal plants, boiler houses, etc.
What is urea in the medical industry?
Urea is a low-acting osmotic diuretic. It is a raw material for the manufacture of drugs that remove water from the human body (dehydration drugs). These drugs are essential in the treatmenthydrocephalus, cerebral edema of various etiologies. In addition, carbamide is used to make sleeping pills.
Urea did not miss its chance to participate in the food industry. Food additive E927b is nothing but urea. It has foaming properties, acts as a flavor and aroma enhancer of food products. It is 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 a nitrogen supplier for yeast cultures.
But the main part of the urea produced in our country (about 4 million tons per year is produced annually) goes to the needs of agriculture. The urea fertilizer made from grade B urea is an invaluable supplier of nitrogen, since it contains a little more than 46%. Despite the fact that urea is highly soluble in water, it itself absorbs water very reluctantly. This positive feature is very valuable and allows you to harvest fertilizer in large volumes, without fear that the stocks clog and turn into stone during storage. Carbamide has a high chemical activity and is very readily absorbed by plants. Basically, urea is used at the stages of pre-sowing treatment, the set of green mass by the plant.
