Uses for Uric Acid

The human body produces trace amounts of uric acid, which it passes out in urine. Birds and reptiles also excrete uric acid, mainly to conserve water. Excessive uric acid in the human body can result in diseases, but scientists have proposed that it could treat other diseases in appropriate amounts. Other uses for uric acid include its addition to fertilizers and explosives.

Medicine

• While some people suffer gout due to elevated uric acid levels, the same people have significantly lower incidences of multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. According to Oregon State University, scientists believe uric acid can protect against diseases such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, myocardial infarction and stroke. However, the exact mechanism of using uric acid in treatment has not been determined, and scientists are still conducting animal testing as of August 2010.

Explosives

• Before the early 1900s, people couldn't obtain fixed nitrogen from the atmosphere, so they harvested this element in the form of uric acid from crystallized bird waste known as guano. Countries rushed to gain control over guano-rich islands, resulting in conflicts such as the 1879 Guano War, in which Chile defeated Bolivia. When it reacts with alkalis, the uric acid in guano provides saltpeter for gunpowder. Guano gunpowder had been used since 1812.

Fertilizer

• Uric acid, which easily decomposes, provides a nitrogen source for fertilizers that is more quickly available compared to the nitrogen in manure from cows, horses and sheep. When using a fertilizer with uric acid, the soil needs to be thoroughly mixed to prevent the acid from changing into ammonia, which can evaporate. When mixed properly, the ammonia becomes ammonium, which sticks to the soil better and provides more nitrogen to plants.