what makes your eyes water when cutting onions?

Question

i was cuting an onions and sarted crying is there any way to avoid this

Answer 1

The acidity of the onion vaporizes and is drawn to the moisture in your eyes. Many people either cut a lemon in half and hold it in their mouth or put a wet cloth around their neck. Either of these methods will draw the acid away from your eyes. Hope that helps.

Answer 2

There are juices and chemicals inside the onion's tissues; when your knife breaks the onion's cells a certain compound becomes airborne as a fine mist. This compound is called propanethial-S-oxide, which is a type of sulfoxide. When the misty droplets encounter a wet surface (your eyes or nose membranes) it dissolves into a form of sulfuric acid, which is understandably irritating to your sensitive organs. And the reaction is for you to cry and your nose to run.
What works for me is to slice the onion into a colander under running water. The water flushes the fumes right through the colander and down the drain. No more tears. Simply remove the onion from the colander and pat dry on paper towel. If I am chopping an onion, I always use my food chopper. All the fumes stay inside, and I don't shed a single tear. Hope this helps.

Answer 3

Interesting onion reaction. During my days of working in an Onion freezing plant one thing that is interesting is the when you first walk into the part of the plant where the onions are being cut naturally your eyes run but after a few minutes they stop and you can work normally for as long as you want. But if you leave the room and then come back you go thru that eye burning session again momentarily. ( It is a pain in the EYES)

Answer 4

Unless you've avoided cooking, you've probably cut up an onion and experienced the burning and tearing you get from the vapors. When you cut an onion, you break cells, releasing their contents. Amino acid sulfoxides form sulfenic acids. Enzymes that were kept separate now are free to mix with the sulfenic acids to produce propanethiol S-oxide, a volatile sulfur compound that wafts upward toward your eyes. This gas reacts with the water in your tears to form sulfuric acid. The sulfuric acid burns, stimulating your eyes to release more tears to wash the irritant away.

Answer 5

The gas from the freshly cut onion makes you cry. As to avoid it, I do not know.

Answer 6

you can avoid it if you coat your cutting board with lemon juice first. the acid in the lemon cuts the Enzymes in the onion. then there is less of a chance of your tear ducts getting over worked.

Answer 7

well i don`t think so but the smell is what makes your eyes water.I think covering your nose wont help and no I don`t think you can avoid this

Answer 8

ahaha wear safety goggles

Answer 9

its because youre a jealous person at least thats what they told me dont worry i have the same problem..

Answer 10

the smell of them