How about this Wohler fellow who changed our understanding of the word "organic,"?
How about YOUR question here?
In a brief earlier communication, printed in Volume III of these Annals, I stated that by the action of cyanogen on liquid ammonia, besides several other products, there are formed oxalic acid and a crystallizable white substance, which is certainly not ammonium cyanate, but which one always obtains when one attempts to make ammonium cyanate by combining cyanic acid with ammonia, e.g., by so-called double decomposition. The fact that in the union of these substances they appear to change their nature, and give rise to a new body, drew my attention anew to this subject, and research gave the unexpected result that by the combination of cyanic acid with ammonia, urea is formed, a fact that is noteworthy since it furnishes an example of the artificial production of an organic, indeed a so-called animal substance, from inorganic materials.
I have already stated that the above-mentioned white crystal-line substance is best obtained by breaking down silver cyanate with ammonium chloride solution, or lead cyanate with liquid ammonia. In the latter way I prepared for myself the not unimportant amounts employed in this research. It was precipitated in colourless, transparent crystals, often more than an inch long...
With caustic soda or chalk this substance developed no trace of ammonia; with acids it showed none of the breakdown phenomena of cyanates which occur so easily, namely, the evolution of carbon dioxide and cyanic acid; neither could the lead and silver salts be precipitated from it, as from it, as from a true cyanate; it could thus contain neither cyanic acid nor ammonia as such. Since I found that by the last named method of preparation no other product was formed and the lead oxide was separated in a pure form, I imagined that an organic substance might arise by the union of cyanic acid with ammonia, possibly a substance like a vegetable salifiable base. I therefore made some experiments from this point of view on the behaviour of the crystalline substance to acids. But it was indifferent to them, nitric acid excepted; this, when added to a concentrated solution of the substance, produced at once a precipitate of glistening sales. After these had been purified by several recrystallizations, they showed very acid characters, and I was already inclined to take the compound for a real acid, when I found that after neutralization with bases it gave salts of nitric acid, form which the crystallizable substance could be extracted again with alcohol, with all the characters it had before the addition of nitric acid. This similarity to urea in behaviour induced me to make parallel experiments with perfectly pure urea separated from urine, from which I drew the conclusion that without doubt urea and this crystalline substance, or ammonium cyanate, if one can so call it, are absolutely identical compounds.
I will describe the behaviour of this artificial urea no further, since it coincides perfectly with that of urea from urine, according to the accounts of Proust, Prout and others, to be found in their writings, and I will mention only the fact, not specified by them, that both natural an d artificial urea, on distillation, evolve first large amounts of ammonium carbonate, and then give off to a remarkable extent the stinging, acetic-acid-like smell of cyanic acid, exactly as I found in the distillation of mercuric cyanate or uric acid, and especially of the mercury salt of uric acid. In the distillation of urea, another white, apparently distinct substance also appears, with the examination of which I am still occupied.
But if the combination of cyanic acid and ammonia actually gives urea, it must have exactly the composition allotted to ammonium cyanate by calculation from my composition formula for the cyanates; and this is in fact the case if one atom of water is added to ammonium cyanate, as all ammonium salts contain water, and if Prout's analysis of urea is taken as the most correct. According to him, urea consists of
| Nitrogen | 46.650 | 4 atoms |
| Carbon | 19.975 | 2 atoms |
| Hydrogen | 6.670 | 8 atoms |
| Oxygen | 26.650 | 2 atoms |
| 99.875 |
But ammonium cyanate would consist of 56.92 cyanic acid, 28.14 ammonia, and 14.75 water, which for the separate elements gives
| Nitrogen | 46.78 | 4 atoms |
| Carbon | 20.19 | 2 atoms |
| Hydrogen | 6.59 | 8 atoms |
| Oxygen | 26.24 | 2 atoms |
| 99.80 |
One would have been able to reckon beforehand that ammonium cyanate with 1 atom of water has the same composition as urea, without having discovered by experiment the formation of urea from cyanic acid and ammonia. By the combustion of cyanic acid with copper oxide one obtains 2 volumes of carbon dioxide and 1 volume of nitrogen, but by the combustion of ammonium cyanate one must obtain equal volumes of these gases, which proportion also holds for urea, as Prout found.
I refrain from the considerations which so naturally offer themselves as a consequence of these facts, e.g., with respect to the composition proportions of organic substances, and the similar elementary and quantitative composition of compounds of very different properties, as for example fulminic acid and cyanic acid, a liquid hydrocarbon and olefiant gas (ethylene). From further experiments on these and similar cases, a general law might be deduced.
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| Urea |
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It was synthesised in 1828 by Friedrich Wohler and was the first organic compound to be synthesised from inorganic starting materials. It was found when Wohler attempted to synthesis ammonium cyanate, to continue a study of cyanates which he had be carrying out for several years. On treating silver cyanate with ammonium chloride solution he obtained a white crystalline material which proved identical to urea obtained from urine.
This discovery prompted Wohler to write triumphantly to Berzelius:-
"I must tell you that I can make urea without the use of kidneys, either man or dog. Ammonium cyanate is urea."
This organic synsthesis dealt a severe blow to a widespread belief called "vitalism" which maintained that organic chemicals could be modified by chemistry but could only be produced through the agency of a vital force present in living plants and animals.
In 1870 urea was produced by heating ammonium carbamate in a sealed vessel. This provided the basis of the current industrial process for its production.
This was discovered by Adolf Bayer in 1864. But the barbiturates were not exploited as hypnotics until the early 1900's.
Urea is
also used in the production of various acylureas and urethanes for use as
sedatives and hypnotics.
Almost 100 years elapsed between Liebig's discovery in 1834 and a commercial process being developed.
Melamine is primarily used in the production of melamine-formaldehyde resins which have much greater hardness and stain resistance than urea-formaldehyde resins.
Both melamine-formaldehyde and urea-formaldehyde have very varied uses including adhesives, laminates, moulding compounds, coatings and textile finishes.
Its action of nitrogen release is due to the conditions favouring the reagent side of the equilibriums which produce urea.
As the helices are interconnected all helices in a crystal must have the same 'handedness'. This is determined when the crystal is nucleated and can thus be forced by seeding. This property has been used to separate racemic mixtures.
For historical information:-
PARTINGTON J.R., (1962), A History of
Chemistry, MacMillan, London, Vol. 3.
PARTINGTON J.R., (1964), A
History of Chemistry, MacMillan, London, Vol. 4.
These are good sources
with the information collated via the scientists.
For information on channel compounds of urea (not for the faint
hearted):-
PARSONAGE N.G. and STAVELEY L.A.K, (1978), Disorder in
Crystals, Clarendon Press, Oxford, pp.756-779.
Urea got a hold on me!
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Brief History H.M. Rouelle in 1773 discovered Urea in human urine. It was synthesized in 1828 by Friedrich Wohler.This is when Wohler wrote to Berzelius the following: “I must tell you that I can make urea without the use of kidneys, either man or dog. Ammonium cyanate is urea!” This synthesis has since then been trying to deal a severe blow to the belief called “vitalism” which maintains that organic chemicals can be modified by chemistry but could only be produced through the agency of a vital force present in living plants and animals. Here is where the organic gardener and the chemical gardener part ways. Those of you that believe in this vitalism in general stand to the right and those of you that say there’s no difference stand to the left! In 1870 urea was produced by heating ammonium carbamate in a sealed vessel. This provided the basis of the current industrial process for its production. Production Urea is produced commercially by the dehydration of ammonium carbamate (NH2COONH4) at elevated temperature and pressure. Ammonium carbamate is obtained by direct reaction of ammonia with carbon dioxide. These reactions are normally carried out simultaneously in a high pressure reactor. Uses There are many uses for urea: Pharmaceutical, Resins, Agricultural, as well as Industrial uses; for our purpose we will stick to its agricultural uses and the effects it has on the soil, plants, lawns, trees, etc. Nitrogen is nitrogen is nitrogen? The whole idea is that there is a difference between an organic source of nitrogen and a chemical source of nitrogen. Urea (when it was discovered that it could be made from inorganic ( non-living) compounds and that chemically it was identical to its natural cousin Urine) was proclaimed as an important tool in growing more food to help feed the worlds growing population. This is still the current logic that chemical companies would like you to believe. The American idea that a little is OK but a lot is better does not really apply here. 45-0-0 Urea is 45% nitrogen and 55% inert. Animal urine is closer to 2-5% nitrogen along with a variety of minerals and bacteria. While I admit that nowadays it is easier to get Urea then it is to get animal urine, animal urine is the preferred organic method of nitrogen application. Another good reason most people do not use animal or human urine is health concerns although animal or human urine is perfectly safe to use as long as the donor is healthy. I use animal urine whenever I can and admit that it is harder to get at then its chemical cousin since you have to have access to a farm and make arrangements to have it saved for you as well as to find out if any chemicals have been injected into the animals, etc.. While it is understandable why we use Urea as a urine substitute the negatives far out weigh the positives. Positives and Negatives about Urea Positives Sorry but I can’t think of any thing positive about using Urea except it makes money for anyone selling it! Negatives 1 Rapid Growth pushes plants to grow too fast 2 Plants grow fast but are very weak 3 Promotes stress 4 Destroys soil organisms 5 Increases pest activities 6 Increases disease activities 7 Urea breaks down into various compounds some of which can inhibit plant growth. 8 Eventually decreases plant production 9 Decreases nutritional values of plants to humans while increases nutritional value to pests. 10.The carbon in Urea based fertilizers is chemically converted to CO2 and lost to the atmosphere. Carbon is energy to plants and soil micro-organisms. More is better? It is a mistaken idea that more nitrogen is better then less. What you must understand is how nitrogen is available in nature and how plants and soil organisms use it. Nitrogen is produced freely in nature by various mechanisms found in nature. The most obvious sources of nitrogen is animal manure. Another source is bacterial action. The bacteria produce nitrogen in a form available to the root hairs (through which it is absorbed into the plants) as well as a variety of other nutritional sources. Another source (actually #1) is produced by nature herself through the various storms she has on the planet. Why Urea causes stress Plants can absorb nitrogen directly from the air as well as from the soil but they can also absorb it directly through their leaves. A basic problem with Urea based products is how it is available to plants. Natural sources provide plants with nitrogen as they need it and when they want it as opposed to chemical nitrogen such as Urea which is absorbed by the plants in very large amounts whether it needs it or not. This is where stress comes in. By force feeding your plants this chemical nitrogen, you are causing stress in the plants. Stress is also caused by the fact that Urea kills off all beneficial soil bacteria which are needed to breakdown the nutrients needed by plants. As the soil becomes less and less alive, the plants become increasingly dependent on the straight shots of ‘food’ it gets from the chemical fertilizer you are using. · How you feed your plants is as important as what you feed them. Some Factors that cause stress in plants: 1..dead soil 2..low nutrition levels 3..low mineral levels 4..planted in wrong environment 5..wrong variety planted 6..other chemical use such as herbicides, pesticides, etc. What Urea does to the soil: There are two ways to sterilize the soil, using chemicals and using heat. Urea is a chemical that sterilizes the soil by killing off all the good bacteria normally found living in the soil. Urea because of its identical molecular structure is mistaken by bacteria and plants as a food source. Because Urea is a much more concentrated source of nitrogen, the bacteria are not fed but are actually destroyed leaving behind a mutated form of bacteria which the plants cannot use. Slowly plants find themselves weakening, starving from lack of proper nutritionist and stressed out. Their root systems no longer function as they should. They depend more & more on their chemical ‘hit’ to provide nutrition for them. The soils natural bacterial system is converted into one that cannot be used by plants root systems for food absorption but instead the bad bacteria themselves begin to feed off the plants! What Urea does to the Plants: The plants get an immediate ‘relief’ when you apply or spray fertilizers based on urea or some other chemical form of high nitrogen, but as it wears off the plants return to their weakened state and become even more stressed. This process is repeated over and over again. Less soil bacterium less root hair which equal less food being absorbed by the plants which means less energy, less minerals, more stress. Many chemical fertilizers are now using timed release fertilizers that release their ‘hits’ over a time, thus reducing down time. However this is not the case at all, instead the timed release fertilizers merely are increasing stress. Now Plants are stressed out all of the time! Fertilizer companies are also adding more nutrients to their Urea based fertilizers to help plants last longer as well as systemic to fight off pests and diseases. Plants thus stressed out are more inclined to disease and pest attacks then organically grown plants. What Urea does to Diseases: The very same bacteria that are normally present in the soil dies and is replaced by a different type of bacteria. Some of the bacteria are of the “bad” type. This is to say the bacteria are of the fungal disease type and are all soil born. They can establish themselves in the soil if certain conditions are right for them. The main condition being the lack of the “good” bacteria. The Good Guys and The Bad Guys do not live in the same place!What are the perfect conditions for diseases to occur?Dead Soil Chemical over use destroys all soil bacteria expect for a few specific types of bad bacteria that depend on these conditions to grow. Urea when used over many years, destroys this balance of good and bad bacteria. Stressed Plants Dead soil increases the plant's stress levels due to bad conditions for plant growth. High Nitrogen High nitrogen causes rapid growth. Rapid growth without proper nutrition causes more stress which in turn restricts more nutrition from being absorbed by plants. High nitrogen also attracts insects that have mutated to handle plants that have such rapid growth. High nitrogen also mutates bacteria into rapid growth cycles. Environmental stress can be from improper watering to weather cycles such as too much rain or drought. Biological considerations. Planting the wrong variety or type of plant in the wrong environment will certainly cause major stress to plants and all involved. Over Chemical use of any type from pesticides to herbicides, etc. will cause major damage to soil's Eco system and disrupt nutritional levels. The Ole Barrel Trick! (The Law of the Minimum) If you were to look at a wine barrel. Notice how the slots are held together by a band going around it with a bottom to hold the liquid. Imagine that each slot of the wine barrel was a element needed by plants. Starting with nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and so on. Now lets say they were to actually represent the amount that was available to plants to use. the greater the length the more is available. The nitrogen ‘slot’ is 1 foot up above the top level of the wine barrel with various lengths of ‘slots’ for the varying amounts of each. Now lets suppose we started filling it up with water. How far up the barrel could we go before water would start spilling out? The lowest slot of course! All that nitrogen above the lowest slot is useless in holding any water isn't’ it? Actually all the nitrogen is what cause some of the other slots to be so low. remembering that there is a basic minimum level of minerals that you want. Too much minerals become toxic to its environment as too much nitrogen becomes toxic to its environment. What now? Feed the bacteria first and let the bacteria feed the plants. Use slow release organic sources of nitrogen only. Never use Nitrogen sources only but combine with minerals and bacteria. Provide minerals in amounts needed by soil and plants. Encourage high bacterial count by increasing use of compost based products or make your own compost. Remember: High Nitrogen=High Stress=Disease/Pests=Low Minerals=Low Nutrient levels=Low Energy, High Energy=High Nutrient Levels=No Stress=No Pests/ Diseases!
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