Why exactly does an onion make you cry?

Question

Or very teary. Is it that our eyes are too sensitive? I had to chop 7 onions for a party tomorrow and I couldnt handle it. So what is it exactly?

Mahalo Nui Loa!

Answer 1

cuz its ugly.

Answer 2

well when we factor that x = y by subtracting z we find out why a onion makes you cry

Answer 3

Soak onion in water before peeling it.

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Answer 4

well to reduce tears while cutting onions, cut the onion into two and then put them in water for few min. later you will not get tears when you chop them.......

Answer 5

chew chewwy and it wnt

Answer 6

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.

Answer 7

Well shmead 13 pretty much answered that. (Because the gas released when the onion is cut irritates the eyes).

But I just watched how to prevent this on Food Detectives. You chill the onions in the freezer or in some ice because it slows down the process of the gasses being released, or something of that sort. Just thought it might prepare you for the next party you throw. =]

Answer 8

because inside the onion cells there are some chemical compounds which contain sulfur. When you cut an onion its cells are broken and those chemical compounds then undergo a reaction that transforms them into a more volatile sulfured products, which are released into the air.

if you don't want to cry while cutting a onion, then you could try chilling your onion before cutting it. it works...