onions....?

Question

why do onions make you cry?

Answer 1

It is not the strong odor of the onion that makes us cry, but the gas that the onion releases when we sever this member of the lily family.

The onion itself contains oil, which contains sulfur, an irritant to both our noses and to our eyes. Cutting an onion arouses a gas contained within the onion, propanethiol S-oxide, which then couples with the enzymes in the onion to emit a passive sulfur compound. When this upwardly mobile gas encounters the water produced by the tear ducts in our eyelids, it produces sulfuric acid.

In response to the caustic acid, our eyes automatically blink, and produce tears which irrigate the eye, and which flush out the sulfuric acid.

Another reflex to rid the eyes of a foreign substance, that of rubbing our eyes with our hands, often exacerbates the situation, because our hands are coated with the caustic, sulfuric acid producing oil from cutting the onion, which we then rub directly into our eyes.

Much to our chagrin, the only remedy for ridding the onion of its pungent, irritating oil is to boil it, not to slice it or dice it.

When I was helping in a kitchen, what we did is cover the onion slicer around with plastic wrap so it won't hurt our eyes and not to make us cry while doing this. We did about 3 kilos and the leeks...

Answer 2

Onions produce the chemical irritant known as syn-propanethial-S-oxide. It stimulates the eyes' lachrymal glands so they release tears. Scientists used to blame the enzyme allinase for the instability of substances in a cut onion. Recent studies from Japan, however, proved that lachrymatory-factor synthase, (a previously undiscovered enzyme) is the culprit (Imani et al, 2002).

The process goes as follows:

Lachrymatory-factor synthase is released into the air when we cut an onion.
The synthase enzyme converts the sulfoxides (amino acids) of the onion into sulfenic acid.
The unstable sulfenic acid rearranges itself into syn-ropanethial-S-oxide.
Syn-propanethial-S-oxide gets into the air and comes in contact with our eyes. The lachrymal glands become irritated and produces the tears!

Answer 3

the onion the juice inside makes your eyes watery

Answer 4

the chemical composition makes us cry.its a chemical in onion that makes us cry.i dont know about the chemical u should better ask a biology student.

Answer 5

because when we cut onions small particals come out of it and we cry because they try to enter our eyes so to protect us our eyes make us cry so they dont get into our eyes and harm us

Answer 6

Good question - I've tried all the old wives tales about how NOT to cry, but they never work for me.

Answer 7

why do u ask stupid question go and ask to onion

Answer 8

Cut it under water to keep the gas from reaching you.

Answer 9

when you cut it your bursting and releasing gasses that are acid based, gas rises and because your usually standing over it the acid gass gets in you eys and youe eye waters to wash the acid out...
hope it helps :)

Answer 10

http://www.howstuffworks.com/question539.htm