• Question: What chemicals in an onion makes you cry?

    Asked by InumidunA on 17 Mar 2025.
    • Photo: Alice Carstairs

      Alice Carstairs answered on 17 Mar 2025:


      I don’t know what the name of the chemical is, but its acidic which is why it makes your eyes water. When we cut the onion it’s breaking the cells open which contain the chemical. The bottom end of the onion has more of it in, so I always cut that off last!

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