Description:
Cyanamide in aqueous solution is used as a fertilizer in agriculture. It provides ammonia to the soil by its metabolic conversion. It also has the additional advantage of acting as an effective herbicide. Chemically, cyanamide belongs to the class of nitriles. Enzymes that hydrate the nitrile group to the corresponding amide, nitrile hydratases, are frequently found in bacteria. Enzymatic activity in extracts of a soil fungus, Myrothecium verrucaria, hydrates the nitrile group of cyanamide with formation of urea ([http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2034671|Maier-Greiner et al., 1991]).