All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Urea Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.
Urea facts for kids
| Urea | |
|---|---|
 |
 |
| IUPAC name | Aminomethylamide |
| Other names | Carbamide |
| Identifiers | |
| CAS number | |
| SMILES | NC(=O)N |
| Properties | |
| Molecular formula | (NH2)2CO |
| Molar mass | 60.07 g/mol |
| Appearance | white odourless solid |
| Density | 1.33·10³ kg/m³, solid |
| Melting point |
132.7 °C (406 K) |
| Boiling point |
n.a. |
| Solubility in water | 108 g/100 ml (20 °C) 167 g/100 ml (40 °C) 251 g/100 ml (60 °C) 400 g/100 ml (80 °C) 733 g/100 ml (100 °C) |
| Acidity (pKa) | 0.18 |
| Basicity (pKb) | 13.82 |
| Structure | |
| Dipole moment | 4.56 p/D |
| Hazards | |
| MSDS | ScienceLab.com |
| NFPA 704 |
1
2
0
|
| Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa) | |
Urea is an organic compound. It was first found in urine in 1773 by the French chemist Jean Rouelle. It is also called Carbamide, and its chemical names are Carbonyl Diamide (used in inorganic chemistry) and Diaminomethanal (used in organic chemistry).
In humans, it is a normal component of blood and many body tissues. It is produced in the liver, where ammonia, a very toxic substance, is changed into urea, which has a very low toxicity, so low in fact, that it is many times less toxic than table salt. Most of the urea produced in this way is not needed by the body, and is removed from the blood in the kidneys and taken out of the body in urine.
Images for kids
-
A process plant in Bangladesh, that commercially produces urea as fertilizer by using methane as the main raw material.
-
Urea plant using ammonium carbamate briquettes, Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory, ca. 1930