Catalytic Urea Synthesis from Ammonium Carbamate Using a Copper(II) Complex: A Combined Experimental and Theoretical Study.

The synthesis of urea fertilizer is currently the largest CO conversion process by volume in the industry. In this process, ammonium carbamate is an intermediate to urea formation. We determined that the tetraammineaquacopper(II) sulfate complex, [Cu(NH)(OH)]SO, catalyzed the formation of urea from ammonium carbamate in an aqueous solution.