Why do onions make you cry?

#016 Rebroadcast

This week Melissa and Jam explore the chemistry of onion tears, the emotional reaction we all have, against our will, when cutting onions. Grab some tissues, this one's gonna burn.

References from this episode

1. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf60174a009  
2. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/acschembio.7b00336
3. https://www.nature.com/articles/419685a  
4. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/05/science/onions-crying-chemicals.html
5. http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/motm/pso/psov.htm
6. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170620122950.htm
7. https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/scicurious-brain/ignobels-2013-the-tearless-onion/

Thanks to our monthly supporters

Ciara Linville

J0HNTR0Y

Jeannette Napoleon

Cullyn R

Erica Bee

Elizabeth P

Sarah Moar

Rachel Reina

Letila

Katrina Barnum-Huckins

Suzanne Phillips

Nelly Silva

Venus Rebholz

Lyn Stubblefield

Jacob Taber

Brian Kimball

Emerson Woodhall

Kristina Gotfredsen

Timothy Parker

Steven Boyles

Chris Skupien

Chelsea B

Bri McAllister

Avishai Barnoy

Hunter Reardon

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com

Watch our episodes on YouTube

Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife.

Want to start your own podcast? Use Transistor and you'll have the best podcast platform available. We use it and we are totally in love with it.