Acid Rain Chain

Title of Article: Acid Rain, Effect Felt Through the Food Chain

Name: Law Cheng Yan

Class: Chem 1-2

Intake: July

Question 1:

How does acid rain originate?

Acid rain mostly caused by a chemical reaction which is sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen (NOx). Acid rain normally forms on the top of atmosphere where sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides react with H2O, O2 and oxidants. A mild solution is formed when sulfuric acid is mixed with nitric acid. As a result, this will caused the rainwater, fog, snow and other form of precipitation containing this mild solution and form the acid rain .

Burning of fossil fuels emits sulphur dioxide. S + O2->SO2 Sulphate ion is formed when sulfur dioxide is oxidised when it reaches the atmosphere. 2 SO2 + O2->2

Normally, pure water has a pH7.0 which is neutral and clean rain will be slightly acidic which has a pH between 5.0 until 5.5. This is because rainfall will be some acidic by nature which carbon dioxide and water vapour are combined in the atmosphere. When the rain is mixed with sulfuric acid and nitrogen oxide, it will change the pH value of the rain. Normally acid rain’s pH value is around 4.0 which mean that it is 10 times more acidic than the normal rain.

Question 3

What kind of effects will acid rain cause to the environment?

As we know acid rain is acidic and this will surely affect the environment. When acid rain falls, it will change the level of acidic of one habitat which will cause a gigantic damage to the flora and fauna in the habitat. Acid deposition will weaken the plant’s defense system, causing them become weak. It will also remove the nutrient of plant which is calcium and magnesium from soils which will cause the tree’s defence system become weaker. Acid rain deposits nitrates and this will increase the content of nitrogen in forest. Nitrogen saturation happened, when the plant could not able to use the nitrogen they received. Continuous of nitrogen deposition will change the nutrient balance in forest’s ecosystem. Beside of that, aluminium inside the soil may react with the acid rain. Tree cannot absorb the aluminium but Al2(SO4)3 and Al(NO3)3 is converted by acid rain. When tree absorbed both of these aluminium

This few types of sources will be more eco-friendly to environment which can prevent acid rain. Clean Air Act is designed by reducing SO2 emissions and oxides of nitrogen (NOx). Using coal that contain less sulfur, cleaning the coal , “scrubbers” is used to expel sulfur dioxide from the smokestack. Hence, the most easiest ways which everyone can involve to prevent acid rain is turn off the electricity when we are not using them, limit the air conditioning, buy equipment that uses less electricity. Last and not least is minimizing the miles. Vehicles such as cars and trucks will produce a lot of nitrogen oxides and this will pollute the environment. To reduce the pollutant from our vehicles we should take public transportation and car