Acid rain

Acid rain is defined as rain with a pH of below 5.6. Normal rain has a pH of slightly under 6, which is slightly acidic. This natural acidity is caused by dissolved carbon dioxide dissociating to form weak carbonic acid. 'Acid rain' is caused by sulfur from impurities in fossil fuels and nitrogen from the air combining with oxygen to form sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. These diffuse into the atmosphere and react with water to form sulfuric and nitric acids which are soluble and fall with the rain. Some hydrochloric acid is also formed. The resulting increased acidity in soil and waterways has proven to be harmful to fish and vegetation. Efforts to combat this phenomenon are ongoing.

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PH: pH is a measure of the activity of hydrogen ions (H+) in a solution and, therefore, its acidity or alkalinity. In aqueous systems, the hydrogen ion activity is dictated by the dissociation constant of water (Kw) = 1.011 × 10−14 at 25 ?C) and interactions with other ions in solution. D...

Sulfur: Sulfur (or sulphur; see spelling below) is the chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol S and atomic number 16. It is an abundant, tasteless, odorless, multivalent non-metal. Sulfur, in its native form, is a yellow crystaline solid. In nature, it can be found as the pure eleme...

Fossil fuels: REDIRECT Fossil fuel...

Acid rain related Images and Photos (experimental)

Acid	Rain	Rain	Rain
Rain Drops	Rain Kites	Rain Milano	Rain Forest
Rain Forest	Rain People, The (DVD)	Acid Jazz II	Rain 1932