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Sizzle. Pop. MMMM . . . Smell that delicious soup! When you are cutting vegetables to put into the soup, you added onion. While cutting the onion, you noticed the onion made your eyes teary. Hence, you cry. Today, I am going to explain a question: Why does onion make you cry?
WHY?
Onions have a chemical inside of them, which is called an irritant. Irritant: "A substance that causes slight inflammation or other discomfort to the body." When cutting the onion, you release enzymes. Then, it transforms into an irritant called syn-propanethial-S-oxide. It gets into contact with our eyes, and triggers our lachrymal glands, causing us to cry!
HOW TO STOP IT?
You may be wondering how to stop the vapors of the irritant, syn-propanethial-S-oxide from getting into your eyes. There are a few ways you can do so: firstly, use ventilation. Ventilating the room by just simply opening a window, or turning the fan on, will immediately get rid of the irritant. Secondly, you can REFRIGERATE your onions, so the enzymes inside the onion, causing syn-propanethial-S-oxide to happen, will be less reactive. Finally, you can wear glasses to protect your eyes from getting welled up from the irritant.
FUN FACT?
Did you know, that you can use an onion to clean your barbeque grill? You start by turning your grill on very hot, to get rid of the grime. Then, you turn off the grill, letting it cool. Finally, when it's still a bit warm, take half of an onion and scrub the grill! Cool, huh?
Author's Note: I had a fun time typing up this science article, and I hope you enjoyed it too!
Sources: www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/onion.html; www.ireallylikefood.com/754582784/why-do-onions-make-us-cry/
www.abdpbt.com/personalfinance/2009/06/01/12-clever-uses-for-and-fun-facts-about-onions/
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