What does urea get hydrolyzed into?

What does urea get hydrolyzed into?

• A. Ammonia only
• B. Nitrate and nitrite
• C. Ammonia and CO2
• D. Uric acid

Answer: (C)

Urea hydrolysis is driven by the enzyme urease, which cleaves urea with water to produce carbon dioxide and ammonia. The overall reaction is urea plus water yielding carbon dioxide and two molecules of ammonia, and in physiological conditions the ammonia quickly becomes ammonium. This is why the correct choice lists both ammonia and CO2. Nitrate and nitrite come from different metabolic pathways (nitrification), not direct urea breakdown. Uric acid is a different metabolite altogether. Some urease-producing microbes exploit this reaction to raise local pH, which helps them survive in acidic environments.

Urea hydrolysis is driven by the enzyme urease, which cleaves urea with water to produce carbon dioxide and ammonia. The overall reaction is urea plus water yielding carbon dioxide and two molecules of ammonia, and in physiological conditions the ammonia quickly becomes ammonium. This is why the correct choice lists both ammonia and CO2. Nitrate and nitrite come from different metabolic pathways (nitrification), not direct urea breakdown. Uric acid is a different metabolite altogether. Some urease-producing microbes exploit this reaction to raise local pH, which helps them survive in acidic environments.