Why you cry when chopping onions

Though it is a valued spice for preparing mouth watering delicacies, onions have a bad habit of making you cry first before you enjoy your meal. Today you will learn how they can make you cry even if you are a masculine man who has sworn seven times that you will never cry.

Onions produce a chemical irritant called propanethial-S-oxide. This stimulates the eye's lachrymal glands to produce tears. It occurs in the following steps:
1. Lachrymal factor synthase is released into air when we cut an onion.
2. The synthase enzyme converts the amino acids sulfoxides of the onion into sulfenic acid.
3. The unstable sulfenic acid rearranges itself into syn-propanethial-S-oxide .
4. Syn-propanethial-S- oxide is volatile hence rise up the air and comes into contact with our eyes.
5. lt reacts with water in our eyes to form H2SO4 hence causing a mild burning effect and this stimulates the eyes to produce tears to wipe the tears away.

PREVENTION/ CONTROL
1. Refrigrate the onions to slow down internal reactions.
2. Cut the onions inside water.
3. Wear googles when chopping onions.

Related articles:
✓Health benefits of onions

Comments

How to make aspirin at home.

Making aspirin is very easy and you can actually do it at home but its usability will depend on your accuracy, dosage and level of contamination. You can as well just do it for fun, to sharpen your science skills, to boast to your friends or just to be on the know side. Procedure Weigh 2g of salicylic acid and record the mass. Add 5ml of liquid acetic anhydride. Add 5 drops of concentrated sulphuric (vi) acid to create an acidic environment and to increase reaction rate. Shake and heat in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, the color will change to yellow brown. Add 10ml of cold water and shake. Put in cold water bath for 10 minutes to allow aspirin crystals to form. Filter aspirin from the solution by using a buchner funnel and an aspirator. Sunction from the aspirator creayes partial vacuum that helps to pull water from the funnel. Put filter paper on top of the funnel and sprinkle very little water on top s...

Warning signs of heart attack

In the US, coronary heart diseases including heart attack causes 1 in every 7 deaths. But this can be prevented by acting fast. 635,000 new and about 300,000 repeated cases of heart attack are reported yearly. Some heart attacks are sudden and intense but most start slowly with mild pain or discomfort. Signs ofheart attack Chest discomfort- Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes or that goes away and come back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain. Discomfort in other areas of the upper body- Characterised by pain in one or both arms, the back, neck or stomach. Shortness of breath- May occur with or without chest discomfort. Other signs- Cold sweat, nausea and lightheadedness. What should I do in case of a heart attack? Even if you are not sure it is heart attack, immediately call 9-1-1 or local emergency medical services. Keep a list of emergency phone ...

Vaginitis; symptoms, causes, diagnosis, treatment and home remedies

Vaginitis is an inflammation of the vagina that can result in discharge, itching and pain. The cause is usually a change in the normal balance of vaginal bacteria or an infection. Vaginitis can also result from reduced estrogen levels after menopause. The most common types of vaginitis are: Bacterial vaginosis , which results from overgrowth of one of several organisms normally present in your vagina Yeast infections, which are usually caused by a naturally occurring fungus called Candida albicans Trichomoniasis , which is caused by a parasite and is commonly transmitted by sexual intercourse Vaginal atrophy (atrophic vaginitis), which results from reduced estrogen levels after menopause Treatment depends on the type of vaginitis you have. SYMPTOMS Vaginitis signs and symptoms may include: Change in color, odor or amount of discharge from your vagina Vaginal itching or irritation Pain during intercourse Painful urinat...

Health And Fitness

Search This Blog