Question

What is acid rain?

Answer 1

1. Acid rain means the presence of excessive acids in rainwater.
2. Burning of coal, wood, or petroleum produces sulphur and nitrogen.
3. These two react with oxygen and are converted into their respective oxides, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide, which are soluble in water.
4. During rain, these oxides react with large quantities of water vapour in the atmosphere to form acids like sulphuric acid, sulphurous acid, nitric acid, and nitrous acid.
5. These acids, when they precipitate together with rain or snow, form acid rain.