Which of the following is produced by the chemical reaction that causes burning in the eyes and tears while cutting onions?
Sulphuric acid
Cutting an onion breaks its cells, and the enzyme alliinase converts sulphur-containing amino-acid sulfoxides into sulfenic acids, which form the volatile gas syn-propanethial-S-oxide.
This sulphur gas reaches the eyes and reacts with the water there to give a mild sulphuric acid (with other sulphur compounds), which irritates the eyes and triggers tears.
Note: the irritant itself is syn-propanethial-S-oxide; the sulphuric acid explanation is the standard textbook answer, and it is the only sulphur-based acid among the choices.
Hence, Sulphuric acid.
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Important Questions from Chemistry in Everyday Life
Consider the following statements and select the correct option.
Statement A: Plants require specific soil pH for proper growth.
Statement B: Farmers use pH values to decide the type of fertiliser to add.Consider the following statements and select the correct option.
Statement A: Sugarcane juice can be fermented to give alcohol (ethanol).
Statement B: Alcohol is added to petrol because it is a cleaner fuel.
- At what pH does tooth decay begin to occur in the human mouth?
- Read the following statements carefully and select the correct option. Assertion (A): Keeping oily food in airtight containers prevents rancidity. Reason (R): Airtight containers slow down the oxidation of fats and oils.
Which of the following statement(s) about the artificial sweeterning agents is/are TRUE?
1. Ortho-sulphobenzimide is the first popular artificial sweetening agent.
2. Ortho-sulphobenzimide is also called as saccharin.
3. Ortho-sulphobenzimide is about 100 times as sweet as cane sugar.Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
