Hello! This is M&Ms group! We will discuss,analyze,investigate,and then share with you everything we know about acid rain in this blog !
So…What is acid rain?
Acid rain is an unusually acidic precipitation that is caused by the reaction between industrial gases like sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide with water vapour in the air. The reaction produces acid which will in turn fall to the earth as an acid rain.
Their chemical reaction :
SO2 + OH· → HOSO2
HOSO2· + O2 → HO2· + SO3
SO3 (g) + H2O (l) → H2SO4
NO2 + OH· → HNO3
As we know, sulfuric acid and nitric acid are both strong acid which could cause the pH of air to drop, causing acid rain.
Now it’s time for acid rain trivia !
Did you know ?
1.The term “acid rain” is a term not only for rain but also acid snow,sleet, fog, cloudwater, and dew.
2.Since 1998, Harvard University wraps some of the bronze and marble statues on its campus, such as this “Chinese stele“, with waterproof covers every winter, in order to protect them from erosion caused by acid rain and acid snow[1]
3.After ringing true for three or four centuries the bells in many of the steeples and carillons of Holland have, in the past 25 years, gone out of tune,” reports Scientific American. Why? Acid rain. Explains the report: “[Acid rain] corrodes the wall of a bell, thinning the metal and lowering the bell’s pitch [2].
Effects on environment :
The pictures above is the examples of the effects of acid rains on environment. You could also read about implication on society on the other tab. Thanks!
References:
http://www.elmhurst.edu/~chm/vchembook/images2/196sculpture.gif
http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/001/cache/dead-spruce_133_600x450.jpg
http://brynhobson.com/365/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/UmbrellaReduced_WEB.gif
1. “Art Under Wraps“, Harvard Magazine, March–April 2000
2.http://www.amazingandweird.com/facts/10-interesting-facts-about-acid-rain-you-never-knew/