Interesting Facts: Man-made Urea

In the past, organic compounds were restricted to those that could be produced only from living entities. These compounds were thought to contain a “vital force” based on their natural origin. This “vital force” concept was disproved in 1828 by a Geman chemist, Friedrick Wohler. Wohler synthesized a molecular compound found in human urine called urea. To accomplish this task he used the molecular compounds ammonia and cyanic acid. Urea became the first organic molecule synthesized by a chemist.