One of the main causes of acid rain is sulfur dioxide.
Natural sources which emit this gas are volcanoes, sea spray , rotting
vegetation and plankton. However, the burning of fossil fuels, such
as coal and oil, are largely to be blamed for approximately half
of the emissions of this gas in the world. When sulfur dioxide reaches
the atmosphere, it oxidizes to first form a sulfate ion. It then
becomes sulfuric acid as it joins with hydrogen atoms in the air
and falls back down to earth. Oxidation occurs the most in clouds
and especially in heavily polluted air where other compounds such
as ammonia and ozone help to catalyze the reaction, converting more
sulfur dioxide to sulfuric acid. However, not all of the sulfur
dioxide is converted to sulfuric acid. In fact, a substantial amount
can float up into the atmosphere, move over to another area and
return to earth unconverted.
Sulfur Pie Graph
Nitric oxide and nitric dioxide are also components of acid rain.
Its sources are mainly from power stations and exhaust fumes. Like
sulfur dioxide, these nitrogen oxides rise into the atmosphere and
are oxidized in clouds to form nitric acid. These reactions are
also catalyzed in heavily polluted clouds where iron, manganese,
ammonia and hydrogen peroxide are present.
The following are the stoichiometric equations for
the formation of sulfuric acid:
S (in coal) + O2 --> SO2
2 SO2 + O2 --> 2 SO3
SO3 --> + H2O H2SO4
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