The tentative detection of urea, (NH₂)₂CO, was reported in 2014 in the Large Molecule Heimat region of Sgr B2(N) toward the center of the galaxy by Remijan and co-workers. The observations were made with a concerted effort involving five observatories: CARMA, the 12-m telescope at the Arizona Radio Observatory, the IRAM 30-m telescope, the Swedish-ESO 15-m telescope, and the BIMA array. The last two facilities were decommisioned and supeceded by CARMA, which was in turn decommisioned in 2015.

August 2019 - The detection of urea has been confirmed by Belloche and co-workers.

Urea (also known as carbamide) is well-known in terrestrial chemistry and biochemistry, where it is the main final byproduct of breaking down proteins in metabolism in mammals. It is used as a soil fertilizer and a plastic feedstock. With its pair of NH₂ amine groups, urea is a cousin of other symmetric R1=R2 carbonyl astromolecules such as formaldehyde (R1=R2=H) and acetone (R1=R2=CH₃).