What is Acid Rain?
- Acid rain is a term used to describe many ways acids can fall out of the atmosphere
- It is also referred to as acid deposition: this has two parts wet and dry
- When talking about wet deposition this refers to acidic rain, fog and snow. It affects the ground, plants and animals
- Dry deposition refers to acidic gases and particles. The wind blows acidic particles and gasses onto buildings, cars, homes and trees. These particles can be washed away in rainstorms and these acids add to the acid rain making this combination very acidic
- Winds blow the combination of wet and dry acid deposition all over the place
- Acid rain occurs when these gasses react in the atmosphere with water, oxygen and other chemicals. The amount of sunlight increases the rate of reactions. This results in a mild solution of sulfuric acid and nitric acid
The 3 Acid Rain Gases:
- CO2-->carbonic acid (weak acid)
- NO2-->Nitric acid (strong acid)
- SO2-->Sulphuric acid (strong acid)