Description
Urea fertilizer (CO(NH2)2), also known as urea N46, is an organic chemical compound, commonly used as a component of fertilizers in agriculture. It is a nitrogen fertilizer with the highest nitrogen content on the market: 46% N. It occurs in the form of white crystals or granules. The chemical can be used as a fertilizer in agriculture to improve the yield and quality of crops by providing plants with nitrogen, which is necessary for their growth and development. It is either odorless or with a slight ammonia smell. Its melting/freezing point is about 132.7 °C, and the relative density is about 1.32 g/cm³ at 20 °C.
Urea undergoes hydrolysis in the presence of the enzyme urease, which is important in the human body in the urinary system. It reacts with acids and forms salts. In addition, it undergoes the biuret reaction, in which biuret is formed by heating urea. Urea is also used to produce superurea by reacting with hydrogen peroxide. This is used in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Urea also reacts with formaldehyde, which is used to produce urea-formaldehyde resins (adhesives). It burns in the presence of oxygen, producing carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide and water. In the soil, urea is converted into ammonia and nitrate. These substances can then be used by plants as nutrients. In addition, urea can be digested by Sporosarcina pasteurii, a type of soil bacteria containing urease, where urea reacts with water to produce ammonia and carbon dioxide. Then, bacterially induced calcite precipitation occurs: calcite is formed in the presence of calcium ions. This process is used to improve soil quality and to produce bricks that do not require firing.
