Composition of acid rain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Composition of demigod come down - Essay ExampleAcid rain is the atmospheric deposition of acidified rain, snow, sleet, hail, acidifying gases and particles, as well as acidified fog and cloud water.It also refers to ruin that is much more acidic than natural, unpolluted rain.The pH cuticle is used to measure the acidity or alkalinity of an aqueous solution and is determined by the hydrogen ion (H+) content (Measuring Acid Rain). This scale ranges from 0 to 14, moving from strongly acid to strongly alkaline, respectively, with the point 7 representing neutral.The pH scale is logarithmic rather than linear. Hence, there is a tenfold increase in acidity with each pH point. Natural rain is mildly acidic because of the heraldic bearing of carbon dioxide present in atmospheric moisture, which fight back together to form weak carbonic acid (H2CO3)H2CO3 is a weak acid and so it partly dissociates to release H+ (aq), resulting in the reduction of pH of the system. This partial ionizat ion occurs in equilibrium, since carbonic acid only ionizes 1.7% (Sources of Acid Rain)The two dominant acids found in acid rain ar secic acid (H2SO4) and nitric acid (HNO3). These acids are created from the primary pollutants sulfur dioxide SO2 and nitrogen oxides such as NO2. These pollutants are usually carried over long distances from their primary source, where they finally result in acid rain. The alchemy of both these pollutants from this source to the creation of acid rain is shown belowSulfur dioxide is mainly released into the atmosphere through combustion of fossil fuels. The world over, sulfur dioxide is also released by volcanoes and also by the oxidation of sulfur gases released by the decomposition of plants. This natural sulfur dioxide is released truly high into the atmosphere, and hence the concentration of the gas is very minimal in unpolluted air. But the sulfur dioxide produced from the combustion of fossil fuels, for example in galvanising power plants an d mined coal containing 1 to 5% sulfur, is released into the ground level air. The concentration of sulfur dioxide in the ground level air is, thus, quite high in certain areas, particularly in the Yankee hemisphere. This contributes to acid rain over large areas. 2. Nitrogen monoxide is produced as a byproduct of the burning of flatulence in car engines using air as the source of oxygen. The nitrogen present in air, when subject to high temperatures inside car engines, is converted into the pollutant nitrogen monoxide (NO). A series of secondary reactions in the presence of sunlight produces nitrogen dioxide oxide and ground level ozone, which further precipitate acid rain reactions. NO2 (g) + O3 (g) NO3 (g) + O2 (g) The gaseous NO3 therefore combines with any reactive hydrogen donor (X) in the atmosphere, producing aqueous nitric acid (HNO3)