Cultivated since prehistoric times, the onion has a number of varieties. The most familiar are the yellow and red onions that are very strong and can make people cry if they try to slice them without knowing how to handle them.
Things Required:
2 onions
Running water
A knife
Directions:
Peel both onions. Slice one under water. Slice the other without the water.
This Is What Happens:
Your eyes begin to tear when you slice an onion-but not when you do it under running water.
Science Behind It:
When you cut an onion, you tear its cell walls and release a gas (propanethial-sulphur oxide) that turns into sulphuric acid in the air. Sulphuric acid stings if it gets into your eyes. When you slice an onion under running water, you dilute the gas before it can float up into the air.
