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Acid rain is rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic, meaning that it has elevated levels of hydrogen ions (low pH).Most water, including drinking water, has a neutral pH that exists between 6.5 and 8.5, but acid rain has a pH level lower than this and ranges from 4–5 on average.
Diagram depicting the sources and cycles of acid rain precipitation. Freshwater acidification occurs when acidic inputs enter a body of fresh water through the weathering of rocks, invasion of acidifying gas (e.g. carbon dioxide), or by the reduction of acid anions, like sulfate and nitrate within a lake, pond, or reservoir. [1]
The higher sulfuric acid content of rain also may not release as much Al 3+ from soils as does nitric acid, in part due to the retention (adsorption) of SO 4 2-by soils. This process releases OH − into soil solution and buffers the pH decrease caused by the added H + from both acids.
Acid rain: The burning of fossil fuels releases oxides of sulfur and nitrogen into the atmosphere. These react with water in the atmosphere to form sulfuric and nitric acid in rain. Oxidative weathering: Oxidation of some primary minerals, especially sulfides and those containing Fe 2+, generate acidity.
In atmospheric chemistry, NO x is shorthand for nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO 2), the nitrogen oxides that are most relevant for air pollution. [1] [2] These gases contribute to the formation of smog and acid rain, as well as affecting tropospheric ozone.
The formation of a precipitate can be caused by a chemical reaction. When a barium chloride solution reacts with sulphuric acid, a white precipitate of barium sulphate is formed. When a potassium iodide solution reacts with a lead(II) nitrate solution, a yellow precipitate of lead(II) iodide is formed.
Soil and water being splashed by a raindrop. Petrichor (/ ˈ p ɛ t r ɪ k ɔːr / PET-ri-kor) [1] is the earthy scent produced when rain falls on dry soil.The word was coined by Isabel Joy Bear and Richard Grenfell Thomas [2] from Ancient Greek πέτρα (pétra) 'rock' or πέτρος (pétros) 'stone' and ἰχώρ (ikhṓr), the ethereal fluid that is the blood of the gods in Greek mythology.
Robert Angus Smith FRS (15 February 1817 – 12 May 1884), commonly referred to as Angus Smith, [1] was a Scottish chemist, who investigated numerous environmental issues.He is known for his research on air pollution in 1852, in the course of which he discovered what came to be known as acid rain.