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Asked by elliejade to Asif, Laura, Lena, Sean, Viv on 19 Mar 2012. This question was also asked by drama.
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Sean Murphy answered on 19 Mar 2012:
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.
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Comments
tomalie commented on :
Woah that is really interesting!xxx