Ballang, Pancy Jane P.

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The Truth About Urea

In the year 1773, a French chemist named Hillaire Rouelle discovered urea in
human urine. 55 years after its discovery in 1838, urea then became the first organic compound
to be synthetically formulated by one of the pioneers of organic chemistry Freidrich Wohler, a
German chemist. Freidrich Wohler obtained urea accidentally as he had been trying to make
ammonium cyanate which he had been studying and working on for the past years. He founded a
white crystalline material after he added silver cyanate to ammonium chloride, this white
crystalline material whom Wohler acquired was identically proved that it is urea obtained from
urine. Wohlers discovery showed that organic materials could not only be modified by chemistry
but they could also be produced through chemistry as well (Laura, 2016). Even though urea is a
major element of urine, it is essentially colorless and odorless. However, urine readily
decomposes back to ammonia, which is what gives urine its characteristic smell (Chemistry
World, 2019). Furthermore, the chemical structure of urea is represented by a double amide
group and a planar geometry in the center (The Chemical Company, 2019). Or simply it is a
small organic molecule (MW 60) comprising two amino (NH2) groups and a linked carbamoyl
(C-O) group (Kurzer et al., 1956).

This discovery was found to be useful for commercial and industrial applications
but most importantly it has a great impact in the field of medicine. Medicinally, urea is
incorporated in the manufacture of barbiturates (medications used for
treating headaches, insomnia, and seizures and are one of the older classes of
medications.), and diuretics (also called water pills, are medications designed to increase
the amount of water and salt expelled from the body as urine) (Carter, 2019).
Additionally, physicians found out that urea can be used to detect diseases and disorders that
affect the kidneys, such as acute kidney failure or end-renal disease (ESRD) with the use of
blood urea nitrogen (BUN) test which measures the amount of nitrogen in the blood that comes
from urea (Stuart, 1996). Also, it can act as a reactant in some ready-to-use cold compress for
first-aid use, due to the endothermic reaction it creates when mixed with water. Moreover, this
can be used in topical dermatological products to promote rehydration of the skin. Urea may also
be used for non-surgical debridement of nails as well as an earwax removal aid. Furthermore,
this discovery can be of great help to detect the presence of bacteria specifically Helicobacter
pylori (H.PYLORI) present in the stomach and duodenum of humans which is usually associated
with ulcers. The test detects the characteristic enzyme produced by H. pylori through a reaction
that produces ammonia from urea. Similar bacteria species to H. pylori can be identified by the
same test in animals such as apes, dogs, and cats (The Chemical Company, 2019).

Therefore, as a nursing student who belongs in the medical field, I can say that the
discovery of urea can greatly help us. One reason is with the presence of urea in the human body
it may easily help to detect diseases or malfunctions inside the body specifically the kidney. As
said in the previous paragraphs, a test is conducted wherein they check the amount of urea
present in the kidney to see if it is functioning well or not. So without urea, it could be possible
that doctors or nurses will be having difficulty in checking kidneys that can lead to kidney
failures. As nurses, it’s our responsibility to do first aids therefore, urea can be of great help in
this because when urea and water are mixed it can be used to make a quick chilling cold pack for
medical treatment. Lastly, as observed nowadays some individuals especially the ladies are
obsessed with the color of their skin. Thus, with the help of urea which sometimes being mixed
with creams ladies can have the fair and smoother skin they want. Consequently, without the
discovery of urea, some of us may not be aware that diseases and even bacteria in our bodies are
increasing that we may not know they are slowly killing our life.

REFERENCES

Chemistry world. (2019). Retrieved from

https://www.chemistryworld.com/podcasts/urea/3005986.article

Carter F. (2019). Healthline. Retrieved from

https://www.healthline.com/health/diuretics
Kurzer, F. et al. (1956). Urea in the history of organic chemistry. Retrieved from
https://acutecaretesting.org/en/articles/urea-and-the- clinical-value-of-
measuring-blood-urea-concentration

Laura F. (2016). Friedrivh wohler’s synthesis of urea. Retrieved from

https://study.com/academy/lesson/friedricj-wohlers-synthesis-of- urea-
mechanism-experiment.html

Stuart, J. (1996). Urea molecule of the month. Retrieved from

https://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/motm/urea/urea.html

The chemical company. (2019). Retrieved from

https://thechemco.com/chemical/urea/