Acid rain is caused by excess acid from natural and man-made sources, such as burning fossil fuels. Sulfuric acid is the main component of acid rain, formed from sulfur dioxide mixing with water in the atmosphere. Acid rain can harm organisms and erode building materials.
Acid rain is a type of rain that is more acidic than usual. While the excess acid can come from volcanic gases and decaying vegetation, man-made sources can add acid to rain when fossil fuels are burned and release certain gases into the air. Acid rain and sulfuric acid are closely related, as sulfuric acid makes up most of the acidic component of rainwater.
Sulfuric acid is a molecule that has two hydrogen atoms, one sulfur atom and four oxygen atoms. This gives the acid the chemical formula of H2SO4. This substance is present in acid rain, although not exactly in that form. Strong acids like sulfuric acid tend to mix easily with water molecules and break down into two parts when in water.
These segments are a hydrogen atom and the rest of the molecule, which is now HSO4. The hydrogen atom is positively charged when it falls off the initial acid molecule, so it is a positive ion. Since most chemicals are charge balanced, the other portion of the sulfuric acid molecule is negatively charged. pH, which is a measure of acidity, assigns acidity values to substances based on how many hydrogen ions it contains. Acid rain and sulfuric acid therefore become more acidic the more hydrogen ions are present.
Before the sulfur compound enters the rain, it must enter the atmosphere. This happens because gases that contain sulfur can float in the air. The natural sources of these gases, which are hydrogen sulphide and sulfur dioxide, are emissions from volcanoes, or gases produced respectively by decomposing plant matter.
Hydrogen sulfide has the chemical formula H2S, which means it has two hydrogen atoms and one sulfur atom. This particular sulfur gas reacts with the oxygen already present in the air and turns into sulfur dioxide. Sulfur dioxide, from H2S reactions, or from volcanic emissions, is a less complex molecule than when it becomes an acid, as it contains only two oxygen atoms and one sulfur atom.
Chemically, sulfur dioxide is represented by SO2. Most of this gas in Earth’s atmosphere comes from human activity. Primarily, this comes from the heat breakdown of fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are a form of decaying plant matter that has turned into coal, oil or gas over millions of years. Power plants give the most, but industry, home heating and car emissions can also contribute.
This gas floats in the air and mixes with the water droplets in the rain clouds. SO2 transforms into SO3, from interaction with atmospheric oxygen, before mixing with water in the cloud. Water, which contains two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom, reacts with SO3 to form H2SO4, which is sulfuric acid.
When acid rain and sulfuric acid fall on earth, the low pH can be harmful to organisms and inanimate objects. Streams that receive too much acid rain and sulfuric acid can become unhealthy places for fish and plant life. Building materials such as marble can be slowly eroded by acid. Typically, even normal precipitation can have an acidic pH, which is around 5.6. Rain with a pH lower than this, such as 3.0, is considered acid rain and can be a sign of local pollution.
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