Acid Rain

What is acid rain?

Acid rain is a result of air pollution. Rainfall made sufficiently acidic by atmospheric
pollution that it causes environmental harm, typically to forests and lakes. The main cause is the
industrial burning of coal and other fossil fuels, the waste gases from which contain sulfur and
nitrogen oxides, which combine with atmospheric water to form acids.
(http://projects.ncsu.edu/project/bio183de/Black/chemreview/chemreview_reading/acid_rain.htm
l)
What causes the acid rain?
Acid rain results when sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) are emitted into
the atmosphere and transported by wind and air currents. The SO2 and NOX react with water,
oxygen and other chemicals to form sulfuric and nitric acids. These then mix with water and
other materials before falling to the ground.
Acid Rain and the pH Scale
The pH scale measures how acidic an
object is. Objects that are not very acidic are
called basic. The scale has values ranging from
zero (the most acidic) to 14 (the most basic).
As you can see from the pH scale above, pure
water has a pH value of 7. This value is
considered neutral neither acidic nor basic.
Normal, clean rain has a pH value of between
5.0 and 5.5, which is slightly acidic. However,
when rain combines with sulfur dioxide or
nitrogen oxides—produced from power plants
and automobiles—the rain becomes much
more acidic. Typical acid rain has a pH value of 4.0. A decrease in pH values from 5.0 to 4.0
means that the acidity is 10 times greater.
(https://www3.epa.gov/acidrain/education/site_students/phscale.html#chart)

Formation of Reactants

Formation of Sulfur Dioxide: S(in compounds) + O2(g) -> SO2(g)

Formation of Nitrogen Dioxide: N2(g) + 2O2(g) -> 2NO2(g)

Both Sulfur Dioxide and Nitrogen Dioxide reacts with water to form acids.
 Sulfur Dioxide reacts with water to form sulfurous acid.
o SO2(g) + H2O(l) -> H2SO3(aq)
 Nitrogen Dioxide reacts with water to form nitric acid and nitrous acid.
o 2NO2(g) + H2O(l) -> HNO3(aq) + HNO2(aq)
Substances in upper atmosphere then catalyze the reaction between sulfurous acid and oxygen to
form Sulfuric Acid. In an equation:
2H2SO3(aq) + O2(g) -> 2H2SO4(aq)
Similarly, it catalyzes the reaction between nitrous acid and oxygen causing the formation of
more nitric acid. In an equation:
2HNO2(aq) + O2(g) -> 2HNO3(aq)
(http://nsb.wikidot.com/c-9-3-2-10)
Conclusion
So, since sulfuric acid and nitric acid are soluble in water and are the major acids present
in acid rain. As the rain (acidic) falls to Earth surface, it will cause damage not only to property
but also to all living things in planet.
As we know the main causes to the formation of acid rain, which is the release of sulfur
dioxide and nitrogen oxides substances found on the information above, it will give us some
insight, might develop initiatives to how we prevent these things to happen in order to save not
only the lives and the properties but also most importantly, our planet we live in.
It is about minimizing the root cause of the release of these substances