Acid Rain

ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY
CHEM-441

Dr. Arman Tabassum

Assistant Professor
Department of Chemistry
Federal Urdu University of Arts Science and Technology
Gulshan-e-Iqbal Campus Karachi

In collaboration with Mr. Naeem Akhtar, SMIU

What is Acid Rain?
 Precipitation made acidic by the presence of acids stronger than CO2(aq) is commonly
called acid rain; the term applies to all kinds of acidic aqueous precipitation, including
fog, dew, snow, and sleet.
 In a more general sense, acid deposition refers to the deposition on the earth’s
surface of aqueous acids such as sulfuric acid and nitric acid.
 Deposition in solution form is acid precipitation, and deposition of dry gases and compounds is
dry deposition.
 Although carbon dioxide is present at higher levels in the atmosphere, sulfur dioxide, SO2,
contributes more to the acidity of precipitation for two reasons.
o The first of these is that sulfur dioxide is significantly more soluble in water than is
carbon dioxide.
o Secondly, the value of Ka1 for SO2(aq), is more than four orders of magnitude higher
than the value of 4.45 x 10 -7 for CO2.
Acid Rain
Chemistry of Acid Rain
 Although acid rain can originate from the direct emission of strong
acids, such as HCl gas or sulfuric acid mist, most of it is a
secondary air pollutant produced by the atmospheric oxidation of
acid-forming gases such as the following:

 Chemical reactions such as these play a dominant role in

determining the nature, transport, and fate of acid precipitation.
 As the result of such reactions the chemical properties (acidity,
ability to react with other substances) and physical properties
(volatility, solubility) of acidic atmospheric pollutants are altered
drastically.
Chemistry of Acid Rain
 For example, even the small fraction of NO that does
dissolve in water does not react
significantly. However, its ultimate oxidation product,
HNO3, though volatile, is highly
water-soluble, strongly acidic, and very reactive with
other materials.
 Therefore, it tends to be removed readily from the
atmosphere and to do a great deal of
harm to plants, corrodible materials, and other things
that it contacts.
Acid Rain as a Regional Air Pollution
Problem
 Although emissions from industrial operations and fossil fuel
combustion are the major sources of acid-forming gases, acid rain
has also been encountered in areas far from such sources.
 This is due in part to the fact that acid-forming gases are oxidized
to acidic constituents and deposited over several days, during
which time the air mass containing the gas may have moved as
much as several thousand kilometers.
 Acid rain spreads out over areas of several hundred to several
thousand kilometers.
 This classifies it as a regional air pollution problem compared to a local
air pollution problem for smog and a global one for ozone-destroying
chlorofluorocarbons and greenhouse gases.
.
Acid Rain as a Regional Air
Pollution Problem
 Other examples of regional air pollution problems are those
caused by soot, smoke, and fly ash from combustion sources
and fires (forest fires).
 Nuclear fallout from weapons testing or from reactor fires
(of which, fortunately, there has been only one major one to
date—the one at Chernobyl in the Soviet Union) may also be
regarded as a regional phenomenon
Damaging Effects of Acid Rain
Ample evidence exists of the damaging effects
of acid rain. The major effects are the
following:
Phytotoxicity
 Direct phytotoxicity to plants from
excessive acid concentrations.
 Phytotoxicity from acid-forming gases,
particularly SO2 and NO2, that accompany
acid rain
 Indirect phytotoxicity, One of the most
harmful effects of acidic precipitation is the
dissolution of Al+3 from soil at levels that
are harmful to plants.
 Destruction of sensitive forests
Damaging Effects of Acid Rain
 Respiratory effects on humans and other animals
 Acidification of lake water with toxic effects to lake flora and fauna,
especially fish fingerlings
 Corrosion of exposed structures, electrical relays, equipment, and
ornamental materials. Because of the effect of hydrogen ion, limestone,
CaCO3, is especially susceptible to damage from acid rain.

 Associated effects, such as reduction of visibility by sulfate aerosols and

the influence of sulfate aerosols on physical and optical properties of
cloud droplets—specifically, increased reflectance of light—resulting
from acid sulfate in the atmosphere may even have a mitigating effect on
greenhouse warming of the atmosphere.)
 A significant association exists between acidic sulfate in the atmosphere
and haziness.
 Chemistry of Stone Cancer
 Acid rain can ruin buildings and statues
by stripping away the stone that was
used to make those structures.
 Limestone and marble were common
materials used to make parts of
buildings and whole statues that were
meant to be exposed to the outdoors.
 To the surprise of architects, the acid in
acid rain could turn the calcium
carbonate molecules that made up the
stone materials into calcium sulfate
molecules.

 Because calcium sulfate can be dissolved

by water, acid rain would eventually
wash away the outsides of buildings and
statues -- like a glass of water does to a
cube of sugar.