Why does the body convert NH₄⁺ to urea?

Question

Accepted Answer

All right. Hello everyone. So this question is asking us which statements accurately describe why the body converts ammonium or NH four positive to urea and select all that apply. So here on the screen, we have four different statements labeled one through four that we're going to discuss in greater detail. Later on. In this video, we also have four different entry choices labeled A through D proposing which of the four statements are correct. But before we talk about these statements in greater detail, what is the importance or significance of ammonium in our bodies? Well, first of all, recall first and foremost, that we need proteins in order to function, right? These proteins are made up of amino acids or a a for short that are essentially assembled together into a more complex protein. Now, these amino acids when they are broken down in our bodies oftentimes produce ammonium as a by-product. This is because amino acids contain amino groups and those amino groups can be converted into ammonium during that breakdown process. Now, the significance of ammonium is that it's bad for you, right? It is toxic to the body. And so once ammonium is being produced. It's very important for the body to have a system to get rid of it before it can cause damage to our cells. And so this is where the urea cycle comes into play. Ammonium is transported into the urea cycle so that it can be converted into urea. Doubt urea can therefore be used to remove ammonium from the body because urea is a less toxic by-product, it can be excreted in the urine without much issue. So this is going to reduce the overall toxicity of the compound while also maintaining acid based balance. And so with this context in mind, let's move on now to our answer choices. The first statement says that urea is less toxic than ammonium and can be safely excreted in Europe. This is true, right. As mentioned before, the reason why ammonium undergoes the urea cycle in the first place is to produce a product that can be removed from the body without causing additional harm to it. So statement one is correct because it summarizes the importance of the urea cycle. Statement two says that ammonium is readily eliminated from the body without conversion. This is not correct, right? Because as talked about before ammonium by itself is toxic to our cells. So it's important to convert it to urea so that it can be removed safely. From here, we move on to statement three which says that the conversion of ammonium to urea helps in maintaining the body's acid based balance. Now, this is true, right? Because ammonium is acidic. So by removing ammonium through converting it to urea, you're maintaining the acid based balance in the blood. So this is true. And last but not least we have statement four which says that urea formation allows the body to excrete excess nitrogen while conserving water. This is also true, right? Because it is excess nitrogen in the body that's converted to ammonium in the first place. And it's also important to mention that urea is soluble in water, whereas ammonium is not that soluble in water. So because the urea cycle converts ammonium into a more soluble product, it can be excreted in the urine, which is water based without using too much extra water. This is unlike ammonium that would require a lot more water to excrete without conversion. So to go ahead and summarize out of the four statements, statements, 13 and four are the ones that are accurate, which means that c is the correct answer choice and there you have it. So with that being said, thank you so very much for watching. And I hope you found this helpful.

Why does the body convert NH₄⁺ to urea?

Key Concepts

Ammonia Toxicity

Urea Cycle

Nitrogen Excretion

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Why does the body convert NH4+ to urea?

Key Concepts

Ammonia Toxicity

Urea Cycle

Nitrogen Excretion

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Why does the body convert NH₄⁺ to urea?