Why Do Onions Make You Cry? - Britannica

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Why Do Onions Make You Cry? Onions are such tearjerkers. Ask Anything Homework Help Written by Melissa Petruzzello Melissa Petruzzello (she/her) is Assistant Managing Editor and covers plants, algae, fungi, insects, spiders, renewable energy and environmental engineering. She also handles certain topics in Christianity,... Melissa Petruzzello Fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Britannica AI Ask Anything Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask Anything

You’re happily chopping onions for your dinner when BAM! Your eyes are stinging, and tears are running down your face. Maybe the burning gets so bad you have to step away! Why are onions such jerks sometimes? Well, it actually comes down to some pretty fascinating biochemistry. Before it found its way into your kitchen, the onion plant was happily making food from the sun and absorbing minerals from the soil. It turns out that onions are particularly good at absorbing sulfur, which they use in a number of amino acids. When you cut an onion, you break open cell after cell, releasing their liquidy contents. Previously separated enzymes meet the sulfur-rich amino acids and form unstable sulfenic acids, which then rearrange into a chemical known as syn-propanethial-S-oxide. This sneaky chemical is volatile, meaning it easily vaporizes, and causes a burning sensation when it floats up from the cutting board and comes in contact with your eyeballs. In an attempt to keep your precious eyes from being damaged, your brain quickly triggers a tear response to rinse the offending irritant away. You are left with red eyes and tear-stained cheeks in the middle of your kitchen, the obvious victim of some (awesome) botanical warfare.

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So, what can be done to reduce all this onion-chemistry drama? Certain varieties of onions, especially sweet onions, are less sulfurous than others and are thus less likely to burn your eyes. You can also freeze or refrigerate onions before you chop them; this slows down the enzymes responsible for the series of unfortunate chemical events. Other tricks—such as lighting a match, eating bread while you chop, or breathing through your mouth—are considerably less effective (if at all), but desperation is the mother of invention (or something), right? Try them if you must.

Melissa Petruzzello