Table of Contents
Is acid rain an acid or base?
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.
What acid naturally occurs in rainwater?
nitric acid
In addition to the natural processes that form small amounts of nitric acid in rainwater, high-temperature air combustion, such as occurs in car engines and power plants, produces large amounts of NO gas. This gas then forms nitric acid via Equations 4 and 5.
What is acid rain in simple words?
Acid rain is rain that is unusually acidic and highly corrosive in nature. It may be defined as “rain water having pH less than 5.6”. Acid rain can have harmful effects on plants, animals and humans. It is caused when gaseous compounds of ammonium, carbon, nitrogen, and sulphur are released into the atmosphere.
What is the pH of acid?
The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral. pHs less than 7 are acidic while pHs greater than 7 are alkaline (basic).
What Colour is acid rain?
When you add acid, bromothymol blue turns yellow; when you add a base (like sodium sulfite), it turns blue. Green means neutral (like water).
What does acid rain do to humans?
Acid Rain Can Cause Health Problems in People Air pollution like sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides can cause respiratory diseases, or can make these diseases worse. Respiratory diseases like asthma or chronic bronchitis make it hard for people to breathe.
Is pH above 14 possible?
It describes how many hydrogen ions (protons) are present in a solution: the higher the pH, the lower the hydrogen ion concentration, and vice versa. But the scale does not have fixed limits, so it is indeed possible to have a pH above 14 or below zero.
What are one of the natural causes of acid rain?
Volcanic explosions The volcanic eruption is one of the major natural causes of acid rain. When volcanoes erupt, it releases a huge amount of acid rain causing gases in the atmosphere such as sulfur. Later on, these gases emitted through volcano eruptions cause a higher amount of acid rain.
What is acid rain and what is it caused by?
Acid rain is caused by the formation of nitric and sulfuric acids in our atmosphere. These compounds are strong acids and they are highly soluble in water and they dissolve in the water droplets within clouds.
What natural resource is impacted from acid rain?
Acid rain leaches calcium out of the soil when it is absorbed by the earth. This directly affects the mineral levels of the soil and the creatures, such as snails, that rely on that calcium for shell growth.
What natural events can also cause acid rain?
Natural processes can also lead to acid rain. Sea spray and volcanoes are common natural sources of sulfur, which can cause acid rain. But these contributions from natural sources typically play a much smaller role in producing acid rain than those from man-made pollutants.