Urea is a waste product produced by the body after breaking down proteins. It is excreted through urine and sweat. Synthetic versions are used in fertilizers, animal feed, and various products. Urea levels can indicate kidney problems, but may also reflect dehydration or increased protein intake.
Urea, also called carbamide, is an organic chemical compound, and is essentially the waste produced by the body after metabolizing proteins. Of course, the compound is made when the liver breaks down proteins or amino acids and ammonia; the kidneys then transfer urea from the blood into the urine. Excess nitrogen is expelled from the body via urea and, as it is extremely soluble, it is a very efficient process. The average person excretes about 30 grams of urea per day, mostly in urine, but a small amount is also excreted in sweat. Synthetic versions of the chemical compound can be created in liquid or solid form, and is often an ingredient found in fertilizers, animal feed and diuretics, to name a few.
Discovery
Of course, the chemical compound is not only produced by man but also by many other mammals, as well as amphibians and some fish. Discovered in 1773 by the French chemist Hillaire Rouelle, urea became the first organic compound to be formulated synthetically. German chemist Friedrich Wöhler, one of the pioneers of organic chemistry, invented the process for creating the synthetic version of the compound in 1828, just 55 years after its discovery.
Production
The synthetic version of the compound is created from ammonia and carbon dioxide and can be produced as a liquid or solid. In 1870, the process of synthetically producing the compound by dehydrating ammonium carbamate under conditions of high heat and pressure was invented, and this process is still used today. There are many common uses of the synthetic compound, and therefore its production is high; in fact, approximately one million pounds of urea is produced each year in the United States alone.
Common uses
Most of the compound produced is used in fertilizers; when nitrogen is added to urea, the compound becomes water soluble, making it a highly desired ingredient for lawn fertilizer. The synthetic version is also used commercially and industrially to make some types of plastics, animal feed, glues, toilet cleaners, dishwasher cleaners, hair coloring products, pesticides and fungicides. Medicinally, it is used in barbiturates, dermatological products that rehydrate the skin, and diuretics
Doctors can use urea levels to detect diseases and disorders that affect the kidneys, such as acute kidney failure or end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and urine urea nitrogen (UUN) tests, which measure levels of urea nitrogen in blood and urine, are often used to evaluate how well a patient’s kidneys are working. Increased or decreased levels of the compound, however, don’t always indicate kidney problems, but instead may reflect dehydration or an increase in protein intake.
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