Acid rain Flashcards
What is a pollutant and the effect of one?
A pollutant is something that can cause or create pollution into the atmosphere.
The effects of pollutants can be quite bad. An example could be damaging the environment or even your own health.
What is the combustion word equation?
Fuel + oxygen ——> carbon dioxide + water
What is the name of the pollutants are put out into the atmosphere?
Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide
How is acid rain created?
Sulfur and nitrogen reacts with the oxygen, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides is produced.
Pollutants are put out into the atmosphere - sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide.
Water vapour reacts with the di/oxides and produces sulfuric and nitric acid.
These acids come down as acid rain.
How acidic is acid rain?
Unpolluted rain would have a pH value of between 5 and 6. When the air becomes more polluted with nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide the acidity can increase to a pH value of 4.
What is acid rain?
Acid rain is a result of air pollution. When any type of fuel is burnt, lots of different chemicals are produced. The smoke that comes from a fire etc. contains lots of invisible gases that can be even more harmful to our environment.
Power stations, factories and cars all burn fuels and therefore they all produce polluting gases. Some of these gases (especially nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide) react with the tiny droplets of water in clouds to form sulphuric and nitric acids. The rain from these clouds then falls as very weak acid - which is why it is known as “acid rain”.
