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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