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Chemistry
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Why Do Onions Make You Cry?
Cutting an onion ruptures cells and mixes enzymes with sulfur-containing molecules that were stored separately. Alliinase begins the reaction, and lachrymatory-factor synthase helps produce the volatile compound syn-propanethial-S-oxide. When that vapour reaches the surface…
Oct 3, 2026 • 13 min readRead the discovery →LATEST
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