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. Ammonium cyanate is urea. 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.
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 Pharmacaeutical Urea and malonic acid react to form barbituric acid. 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.