Ayo Banjo Ms. Schneider
Chemistry Honors
5 February 2015 Acid Rain Acid rain is a type, or form, of precipitate that includes unnaturally high levels of hydrogen ions (low pH). The cause of acidic rain is due to chemical reactions like sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide released in the air. The reactions can climb high in the atmosphere. When this happens, these substances mix with oxygen, water, and other types of chemicals to create acidic pollutants, also identified as “acid rain”. This happens because nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide dissolve in water easily. They are also carried far by the wind. Because of this, the compounds can journey in far distances to where sleet, snow, fog and rain are. The primarily cause of acidic rain is human activities. Humans release a variety of chemicals in the air to an extent where the atmosphere gasses have been changed. A majority of this comes from fossil fuels. The burning of fossil fuels results in the release of sulfur dioxide and majority of the nitrogen oxides. The burning of fossil fuels usually takes place in power plants to produce electricity. To add on, the exhaust from trucks, buses, and cars release nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide in to the air. The pollutants released here are the causes of acidic rain. In Nature, balance is necessary. In some rain, it is naturally acidic, a pH level of 5. But human activities have worsened them. Regular precipitation, as in rain or snow, react with alkaline chemicals which are non-acidic materials, found in bedrock, soils, lakes, streams, and in the air. The reactions here naturally neutralize the acids. But when precipitation exceeds in acidic form, the materials cannot neutralize the acids completely. In long-terms, the neutralizing materials can be washed away through acid rain. This results in the damage of lakes, rivers, animals, and crops. The environmental effect of acid rain can be seen through