UNIVERSIDAD AUTÓNOMA DE NUEVO LEÓN

PREPARATORIA No. 7 UNIDAD SAN NICOLÁS I

Chemistry II and Laboratory

Integrating Activity - Stage 3
M. Sc. Elisa Vega Cordero

Students / Participation

Rubén Maximiliano Espinosa Camacho #8 

Aldo Alberto Galindo Medellín #11 
Alexis Sebastián Hernández #20 
Eduardo Jiménez Roel #22 
José Manuel Sánchez Gutiérrez #36 
Ángel Daniel Santoy Ibarra #37 

San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León, April 28 , 2018

WHAT IS THE ACID RAIN ?
The acid rain its one of the main
concecuences of the
atmospheric pollution. It is
produced when the
contaminated emissions of
factories, cars, or boils enters in
contact with the humidity of the
atomosphere
ORIGIN
• When the pollutants sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxide
enters in contact with the humidity of the atmosphere can
react with water causing water to have a pH less than 7,
that its better called as an acid or as acid rain
• The pH is the coeficient that indicates the acidity or
alkalinity of a substance. The term pH means power of
hidrogen, thats why a p and an H
CAUSES
• Scientists have discovered that air pollution from burning of fossil fuels is the major cause of
acid rain.
• The main chemicals in air pollution that create acid rain are sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen
(NOx).
• The major natural causal agent for acid rain is volcanic emissions.Volcanoes emit acid
producing gases to create higher than normal amounts of acid rain or any other form of
precipitation such as fog and snow to an extent of affecting vegetation cover and health of
residents within the surrounding.
• Decaying vegetation, wildfires and biological processes within the environment also generate
the acid rain forming gases.
• The activities include air pollution sources emitting sulfur and nitrogen gases like factories,
power generations facilities, and automobiles.
EFFECTS
1. Soil Degradation: Acid rain highly affects soil chemistry and biology. The soil microbes,
biological activity, and soil chemical compositions such as the soil pH are usually damaged or
altered due to the effects of acid rain.
2. Damage to Trees and Vegetation Cover: Acid rain penetrates into the soil and dissolves the
most vital nutrients needed by trees. Acid rain also discharges lots of aluminum into the soil
around the trees that renders them incapable of taking up water.
3. Effects on Aquatic Life-Forms: Acid rain has a tendency of altering the pH and aluminum
concentrations, in turn, greatly affecting the pH concentration in surface waters and in
consequence, fish and other aquatic life-forms are hugely affected.
4. Health Implications: Acid rain may not have direct effects on human health. However, the dry
depositions in the air that form acid rain can negatively impact human health by causing
respiratory problems and difficulty in breathing when inhaled.
5. Acidification of Surface Waters: Acidification of surface waters is the immediate effect of
acid rain. Rivers, brooks, lakes, and oceans have greatly become acidic as a result of acid rain when
it precipitates over these surface waters.
6. Corrosive Effects: Acid rain has corrosive effects because it eats into metals and stone. As a
result, it has led to weathering of buildings, corrosion of metals, and peeling of paints on surfaces.
CONCLUSION
Individual solution to acid rain:
• Cleaning up Exhaust Pipes and Smokestacks
Washing coal, use of coal comprised of low sulfur, and use of devices known as scrubbers can provide technical
solution to SO2 emissions.
• Use alternative energy sources
There are other sources of electricity besides fossil fuels. They include nuclear power, hydropower, wind energy,
geothermal energy, and solar energy.
• Take actions as individuals
Millions of people directly and indirectly contribute to SO2 and NOx emissions. Individuals need to be more
informed about energy conservation and ways of reducing emissions such as turning off lights or electrical
appliances when not using them, use public transport or use energy efficient electrical appliances
Group solution to acid rain:
• As a group, we can contribute to the decrease in the probability of generation of the acid rain
in using public transport, walking or other transportation method that does not require the
emission of gases that produce acid rain because the excesive use of cars is one of the main
causes of the acid rain so if we decrease the number of cars in streets we can contribute a
little at least.
• Also we can find places to plant some vegetation because the decaying of it its other cause of
acid rain so we need and try to maintain the environment as green as possible. We can start
with little actions but can then advert people about the gravity of the problem so they can help
to the cause of decrease the harm of the environment and with it decrease the probability of
acid rain.
High school solution to acid rain:
• First of all, the high school can have a bigger impact in the society about this problem because
its a big institution so they can promote big campaigns inside the high school or encourage us
the students to make projects or ideas that can help big to the resuction of gases that cause
acid rain and the plantation of trees in bigger regions. Being more people has a bigger impact in
doing a good action, in this case trying to stop the harm in the atmosphere causing acid rain.
PERSONAL CONCLUSION
• Max: The acid rain can affect the environment and it can be dangerous in the daily life of people,
because it has bad effects and potential risks for all of us. Humans also have responsibility of the
acid rain occurrence.
• Aldo: In my opinion, we can do so many things to help but we only contribute a little, what we can
do is to show the people what the world is going through and the damage disasters that can occur
if we don´t act good now
• Alexis: In my point of view the acid rain can be quite harmful for both people, animals and even
plants, they all have things in common even if they do not look like they can do the same long-term
damage as in the short term
• Eduardo: I think it is very important to have in mind that our world isn´t expendable so we need to
take care of it. We need to reduce the nitrous oxide and the sulfur dioxide and trioxide levels in
our atmosphere.
• José Manuel: In my opinion to reduce the production of acid rain we can do different things or
better to stop doing things that we are used to doing and this is very important because acid rain at
a certain point can hurt us.
• Daniel: The acid rain is dangerous and can cost people a lot since it falls and can contaminate clean
water also it can damage paint vegetation, the edification, the environment in general and the
atmosphere
 REFERENCES
• ¿Qué es la lluvia acida?. 28/04/18, of acciona, Web Site: https://www.sostenibilidad.com/cambio-
climatico/que-es-la-lluvia-acida/
• Causas de la lluvia ácida. 28/04/18, of Twenergy, Web Site: https://twenergy.com/a/causas-de-la-lluvia-
acida-539
• Earth Eclipse. (2018). Effects Acid Rain. 28/04/18, of Earth Eclipse, Web Site:
https://www.eartheclipse.com/environment/critical-effects-of-acid-rain.html
• What Causes Acid Rain?. 28/04/18, Web Site:
http://www2.gsu.edu/~mstnrhx/EnviroBio%20Projects/AcidRain/causes.html
• What is Acid Rain?. 28/04/18, of Conserve Energy Future, Web Site: https://www.conserve-energy-
future.com/causes-and-effects-of-acid-rain.php