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Ammonium Cyanate Synthesis

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This chemical reaction was discovered in 1828 by Friedrich Wohler in an attempt to synthesize ammonium cyanate. It is considered the starting point of modern organic chemistry. Wohler wanted to prove, contrary to scientific thinking of the time, that a product of the living processes of animals could be made in the laboratory from inorganic materials. The synthesis was almost an accident, as Wohler had been trying to make another compound, ammonium cyanate, to continue a study of cyanates he had been working on for the previous few years. When he added silver cyanate to ammonium chloride solution he obtained a white crystalline material, which proved identical to urea obtained from urine. His investigation was questioned by the theory of the vitalism. Vitalist chemists predicted that organic materials could not be synthesized from inorganic components His discovery was the beginning of the process of preparing organic compounds from inorganic substances. It is used on an industrial scale for the manufacture of fertilizers, pharmaceuticals and resins. For example, urea is one of the precursors to the various barbiturates, which are widely used as sedatives and sleeping pills. Urea is also used in the production of urethanes, which are then …show more content…

This is because it is at the end of chain of reactions which break down the amino acids that make up proteins. These amino acids are metabolized and converted in the liver to ammonia, CO2, water and energy. But the ammonia is toxic to cells, and so must be excreted from the body. The discovery of Friedrich Wohler in 1828 was very important, as this made urea the first organic compound to be synthesized from wholly inorganic starting materials. Wohler wrote triumphantly to Berzelius: "I must tell you that I can make urea without the use of kidneys, either man or dog. Ammonium cyanate is

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