Natural rain is slightly acidic due to dissolved carbon dioxide which can be taken out by aquatic plants and is at equilibrium with natural buffering compounds and the atmospheric levels.
Acid rain from pollution is much more acidic and the pH is several units lower. Remember that each pH unit increase is a tenfold concentration increase in the H+ ions. Acid rain is created by smog trapped in the atmosphere!
The importance of this is that rain that is more acidic than normal, by pollution for example, would affect plantlife adversely, can increase the PH of the soil they grow on and therefore make it unfavorable to plant life that cannot stand such high levels of acidity.
In addition, acid rain can cause erosion of natural rock, buildings, cars and the like, causing breakdowns and increasing maintenance costs.
Acid rain entering the sewers and rivers can also change the PH levels of the water, possibly causing harm to fish, insects and plantlife there. Fortunately, the amounts of acid rain required to meaningfully affect the sea are too large to measure.
The hydrologic cycle involves a process of natural water distillation; essentially, rain water is distilled water, and distilled water is naturally acidic usually with a pH slightly less than 7 since it absorbs carbon dioxide(CO2) which reacts slowly with water to give the bicarbonate and hydronium ions.
When we burn fuel (containing carbohydrates and some non metallic compounds), the non metallic gases are released. These non metallic gases are acidic, example= CO2, SO2 (in sulfur contents), NO(in nitrogen content), or P2O5(In phosphorus content). These gases get combined to produce weak solution of acids like carbonic acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, etc. mainly Carbonic acid [H2CO3]. Therefore the rain water becomes acidic.
When exposed to air, water will react with carbon dioxide to form small amounts of carbonic acid, so yes, rain naturally contains SOME acids. BUT air pollution increases this acidity, hence causes Acid Rain.
Yes, rain absorbs carbon dioxide which forms carbonic acid. That is the same reason that carbonated water has a low pH.
No. The "acid" is caused by pollution and other harmful gases in the atmosphere.
because the rain will not be drinkable, false
Carbon Dioxide
All rain water is slightly acidic.
Burning fuel releases gases and particles. When fossil fuels are burnt (coal), Carbon Dioxide & water vapour is released into the atmosphere. Sulphur impurities are also released. This dissolves into water vapour and hence makes the rain more acidic. Rain, however, is naturally acidic as carbon dioxide dissolves into it.
Acid rain is defined as precipitation that is acidic. This is due to the condensation of sulfur dioxide and other volatile gases released by industrial and other human activities with clouds. When they come down they are observed as precipitations of acidic nature.
because the rain will not be drinkable, false
Slightly acidic
Carbon Dioxide
Normal rain is slightly acidic but it occurs naturally, as oppose to acid rain caused by air pollution
All rain water is slightly acidic.
Rocks can be gradually dissolved by naturally acidic rainwater.
rain water is naturally slightly acidic im not sure about fresh water.
Not all rain is acidic enough to be called so.
All rain is naturally slightly acidic from the dissolved carbon dioxide in it. The enhanced acid rain contains oxides of nitrogen and sulfur that combine with the water to form acids and lower the pH eve further.
Acid rain is more acidic than normal rain. This is immediately obvious from the term.Acid rain is neither gaseous or radioactive. It simply has a lower pH.
Although rain is naturally acidic (pH 5.6), what we consider to be acid rain occurs from polluntants, mainly sulfiric and nitric acid. They are given off by factories and cars.
No. While all rain is slightly acidic,it is only considered acid rain if it is far more acidic than normal.