From what I learned at school in food preparation, if you cut off the bottom part of the onion (where the root stems from), it releases a strong gas like substance which burns your eyes and/or makes you tear up.
I'm not 100% sure if that is accurate, but it's somewhat relevant.
The chemical that causes the tears is syn-propanethial-S-oxide, a corneal irritant.
Onions make you cry because they release a gas called syn-propanethial-S-oxide when cut, which irritates the eyes and triggers tears as a natural defense mechanism.
Onions Make People Weep - 1907 was released on: USA: October 1907
You cry.Your tears will fall on the onion and it will look like the onion was sweating.
The no fears of tears expiriment!
When onions are cut, they release a compound called syn-propanethial-S-oxide. This compound triggers a reaction in our eyes, causing tear glands to produce tears as a defense mechanism to flush out irritants. The tears help to protect the eye from the irritating fumes released by the onion.
Hello, my name is Sydnee. No, I do not think sticking a bread up your nose makes the tears stop.
No they do not make people sad but they can make people cry - or at least seem to be crying because they irritate the eyes of many people when they cut them up.
Meatloaf is not actually good for dogs. This is because many people make meatloaf with onions and dogs should not eat onions.
The three kinds of tears are basal tears, reflex tears, and emotional tears. Basal tears are continually produced to lubricate and protect the eyes. Reflex tears are triggered by irritants, such as smoke or onions, to flush out harmful substances. Emotional tears are released in response to strong feelings, such as sadness or joy, and may contain different chemical compositions compared to the other types.
Onions contain sulfur compounds (which also give them their characteristic smell). The compounds are gases and are released when onions are cut. These gases react with the water in the tears in the eyes to form other acidic compounds which irritate the eye and cause crying.
Adding onions to a food to make the food taste good is a matter of personal preference. Onions help with the digestion of the person eating the food, though.