Urea

Usage areas of Urea

Urea, also known as carbamide, is an organic compound with the chemical formula CO(NH2)2. This amide has two -NH2 groups joined by a carbonyl (C=O) functional group.

Urea has an important role in the metabolism of nitrogen-containing compounds and is the main nitrogen-containing substance in mammalian urine. It is a colorless, odorless solid, highly soluble in water and virtually non-toxic. Dissolved in water, it is neither acidic nor alkaline. The body uses it in many processes, most importantly nitrogen excretion. The liver creates it by combining two ammonia molecules (NH3) with a carbon dioxide (CO2) molecule in the urea cycle. Urea is widely used in fertilizers as a nitrogen source and is an important raw material for the chemical industry.

Urea can be produced at an important conceptual milestone in chemistry. It is the first time a substance can be synthesized in a laboratory without biological starting material, which contradicts the widely held doctrine of vitality, known for the first time as a byproduct of life.

Usage areas

• Urea is the raw material for producing two main classes of materials: Urea-formaldehyde resins and urea-melamine-formaldehyde used in marine plywood.
• (NH2)2CO can be used to form urea nitrate, a high explosive used industrially and as part of some improvised explosive devices. It is a stabilizer in nitrocellulose explosives.
• More than 90% of the world’s industrial (NH2)2CO ureter is sent for use as nitrogen-releasing fertilizers.
• (NH2)2CO has the highest nitrogen content of the common nitrogen fertilizers. Therefore, it has the lowest transportation cost per unit nitrogen nutrient.
• Due to the high nitrogen concentration in (NH2)2CO, it is very important to ensure an even distribution. Application equipment must be properly calibrated and used correctly.
• Drilling should not take place in contact with or near the seed due to the risk of germination damage.
• Urea is dissolved in water as a spray or through irrigation systems.
• In cereal and cotton crops, (NH2)2CO is often applied during the last sowing before planting. In areas of high rainfall and sandy soils (where nitrogen can be lost by leaching) and good rain is expected, (NH2)2CO can be side or top dressed during the growing season. It is also popular for top dressing, pasture and forage crops. In sugarcane cultivation, (NH2)2CO is side-dressed after planting and applied to each tahini plant.
• In irrigated plants, (NH2)2CO can be applied dry to the soil or applied via dissolved and irrigation water. (NH2)2CO dissolves in water by its own weight, but becomes more and more difficult to dissolve as the concentration increases. If urea is dissolved in water, it becomes endothermic; The solution temperature drops as the (NH2)2CO melts.