Acid Rains Done by Raniya, Hadjira, Dina 9 a
• Acid rain is a problem because it harms living animals quickly e. g. when it goes into the pond full of fish because the fish use the water as oxygen they breath it in and die.
• Acid Rain Harms Forests. Acid rain can be extremely harmful to forests. Acid rain that seeps into the ground can dissolve nutrients, such as magnesium and calcium, that trees need to be healthy. Acid rain also causes aluminum to be released into the soil, which makes it difficult for trees to take up water. Trees that are located in mountainous regions at higher elevations, such as spruce or fir trees, are at greater risk because they are exposed to acidic clouds and fog, which contain greater amounts of acid than rain or snow. The acidic clouds and fog strip important nutrients from their leaves and needles. This loss of nutrients makes it easier for infections, insects, and cold weather to damage trees and forests.
• Acid rain causes a cascade of effects that harm or kill individual fish, reduce fish population numbers, completely eliminate fish species from a waterbody, and decrease biodiversity.
• Acid Rain Damages Buildings and Objects. Acid rain can also have a damaging effect on many objects, including buildings, statues, monuments, and cars. The chemicals found in acid rain cause paint to peel and stone statues to begin to appear old and worn down, which reduces their value and beauty.
Chemical processes. • Gas phase chemistry In the gas phase sulfur dioxide is oxidized by reaction with the hydroxyl radical via an intermolecular reaction: SO 2 + OH· → HOSO 2· which is followed by: HOSO 2· + O 2 → HO 2· + SO 3 • Hydrolysis Sulfur dioxide dissolves in water and then, like carbon dioxide, hydrolyses in a series of equilibrium reactions: SO 2 (g) + H 2 O SO 2·H 2 O H+ + HSO 3− H+ + SO 32− • In the presence of water, sulfur trioxide (SO 3) is converted rapidly to sulfuric acid: SO 3 (g) + H 2 O (l) → H 2 SO 4 (aq) • NO 2 + OH· → HNO 3 • Chemistry in cloud droplets. When clouds are present, the loss rate of SO 2 is faster than can be explained by gas phase chemistry alone. This is due to reactions in the liquid water droplets.
• A student can help stop acid rain by getting some friends to make posters to post around there school and community. After that try to see if you can get adults' support and see if you write a letter to your government. and see if they can make laws about company pollution which causes acid rain. Try to get them to change so that we won't have so much acid rain.
• The acid takes important minerals away from the leaves and the soil. Without these minerals, trees and plants cannot grow properly. Damaged trees lose their leaves, have stunted growth and damaged bark. This makes it easier for fungi and insects to attack the tree, and as a result the tree may die. • Acid rain not only damages soil but can also affect the trees directly. Pollutants can block or damage the little pores on the leaves through which the plant takes in the air it needs to survive.
• Acid rain negatively affects fish by raising the acidity of the water to a level the fish cannot abide and by leaching metals such as aluminum from the soil that can poison fish. Acid rain effects Fishes because when the acid rain falls in the pond or the lake, the acid collects in the water becoming stronger and stronger until the fish can't live any longer. The birds that eat the fish also begin to suffer as the harmful minerals build up inside
• • When sulphur pollutants fall on to buildings made from limestone and sandstone they react with minerals in the stone to form a powdery substance that can be washed away by rain. Famous buildings like the Statue of Liberty in New York, the Taj Mahal in India and St. Paul's Cathedral in London have all been damaged by this sort of air pollution. Acid rain can also damage stained glass windows in churches, railway lines and steel bridges. The acid rain slowly eats away them all. Building materials crumble away, metals are corroded, the colour of paint is spoiled, leather is weakened and crusts form on the surface of glass.
"Clean" or unpolluted rain has a slightly acidic p. H of about 5. 2, because carbon dioxide and water in the air react together to form carbonic acid, a weak acid (p. H 5. 6 in distilled water), but unpolluted rain also contains other chemicals. H 2 O (l) + CO 2 (g) → H 2 CO 3 (aq) Carbonic acid then can ionize in water forming low concentrations of hydronium ions: 2 H 2 O (l) + H 2 CO 3 (aq) CO 32 - (aq) + 2 H 3 O+(aq) The extra acidity in rain comes from the reaction of primary air pollutants, primarily sulphur oxides and nitrogen oxides, with water in the air to form strong acids (like sulphuric and nitric acid). The main sources of these pollutants are industrial power-generating plants and vehicles. Sulphur dioxide and water form sulphurous acid (H 2 SO 3) SO 2(g) + H 2 O(l) <--> H 2 SO 3(aq) In some cases sulphur dioxide (SO 2) oxidizes to sulphur trioxide (SO 3) 2 SO 2(g) + O 2(g) -> 2 SO 3(g) The sulphur trioxide (SO 3) then combines with water making sulphuric acid (H 2 SO 4) SO 3(g) + H 2 O(l) -> H 2 SO 4(aq) Some oxides of nitrogen like nitrogen dioxide (NO 2) react with water to form nitrous acid (HNO 2) and nitric acid(HNO 3) 2 NO 2(g) + H 2 O(l) -> HNO 2(aq) + HNO 3(aq) When humans burn fossil fuels, sulfur dioxide (SO 2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) are released into the atmosphere. These chemical gases react with water, oxygen, and other substances to form mild solutions of sulfuric and nitric acid. Winds may spread these acidic solutions across the atmosphere and over hundreds of miles. When acid rain reaches Earth, it flows across the surface in runoff water, enters water systems, and sinks into the soil.
• What humans can do, as citizens, to reduce sulfur and nitrogen dioxide emission is to reduce the use of fossil fuels. Car pools, public transportation, or walking can reduce tons of nitrogen oxide emissions. Using less energy benefits the environment because the energy used comes from fossil fuels which can lead to acid rain. For example, turning off lights not being used, and reduce air conditioning and heat usage. Replacing old appliances and electronics with newer energy efficient products is also an excellent idea. Sulfur dioxide emission can be reduced by adding scrubbers to utility plants. An alternative power source can also be used in power plants to reduce emissions. These alternatives are: geothermal energy, solar power energy, wind energy, and water energy.
