Acid Rain

Objectives

  • Identify the causes of acid rain.
  • Explain how acid rain is formed.
  • Explain how acid rain impacts the environment.
  • Identify ways to prevent the formation of acid rain.
  • Explain sources of human impact on the environment from chemical disposal/production.
  • Balance a chemical equation.
  • Identify types of chemical reactions.
  • Predict the products of chemical reactions.
  • Calculate pH from concentration and vice versa.
  • Calculate concentration using percent by mass and by volume.
  • Apply basic chemistry knowledge to a real-world situation.

Related Textbook

Please read section 17.9 of your textbook before completing this assignment. The information provided here will help you complete this assignment.

Introduction

Acid rain is caused by burning fossil fuels containing nitrogen and sulfur.  When burned, fossil fuels release nitrogen and sulfur, which react with oxygen to form sulfur oxides (such as sulfur dioxide and sulfur trioxide) and nitrogen oxides (such as nitrogen monoxide and nitrogen dioxide).  These chemicals then react with the water in the air to produce sulfurous acid, sulfuric acid, nitrous acid, and nitric acid.  The presence of these acids in rainwater lowers the pH, making the rain more acidic.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration website, petroleum, natural gas, and coal, all of which are fossil fuels, have provided more than 80% of the total US energy consumption for the past century.  In 2015, 81.5% of US energy consumption was met by the use of fossil fuels.

The resources below explain in more detail how acid rain is formed, the impacts of acid rain, and how to prevent the formation of acid rain. Review these resources to learn more about acid rain.

Environmental Protection Agency Information on Acid Rain:

Acid Rain by Fuse School

Reducing Acid Rain and It’s Effects by Fuse School

Assignment

Answer the following questions using the information provided in the assignment introduction, your textbook, and the concepts we have learned in this class. Your answers to questions 1-9 can be either typed or handwritten. Your answer to question 10t must be handwritten. Typed submissions for #10 will not be accepted and will earn a zero. You must show all of your work on the calculations to earn credit. Be sure to format superscripts and subscripts appropriately. Upload your completed assignment to the “Acid Rain assignment folder” on Brightspace. This assignment is worth 25 points.

  1. Explain how fossil fuels, which are made of carbon and hydrogen, contain sulfur compounds. (2 points)
  2. Explain how nitrogen is released into the air to form nitric acid and nitrous acid, causing acid rain. (2 points)
  3. What are 3 specific ways acid rain impacts the environment? (3 points)
  4. What are 3 specific ways to reduce the amount of acid rain produced? Be sure to address both the production of sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides in your answer.  (3 points)
  5. Acid rain is formed when sulfur dioxide or nitrogen dioxide is released into the air from burning fossil fuels and then reacts with the water in the air. Balance the equations for the formation of sulfur dioxide and nitric acid, illustrated below: (2 points each)

Reaction 1:                FeS2(s) +     O2(g)  →  Fe2O3(s) +      SO2(g)

Reaction 2:                NO(g) +     O2(g)  →  NO2(g)

  1. What type of chemical reaction (single replacement, double replacement, combination, decomposition, combustion) is illustrated in Reaction 2 above? (1 point)
  2. Calcium oxide or sodium carbonate can be used to scrub the sulfur dioxide from emissions from power plants. One of the videos illustrated a reaction between calcium oxide and sulfur dioxide to produce calcium sulfite.  When sulfur dioxide reacts with sodium carbonate, sodium sulfite and carbon dioxide gas are produced.  Using this information, write the balanced chemical equation for the reaction of sulfur dioxide and sodium carbonate. (4 points)
  3. The pH of a sample of rainwater water is 5.6. What is the hydronium concentration in this sample of rainwater? (0.5 point)
  4. The pH of a sample of acid rain is 4.3. What is the hydronium concentration of this sample of acid rain? (0.5 point)
  5. The use of coal to produce electricity has been declining since 2007. According to data from Statista.com, the United States burned 425.92 million short tons (386,388,124 metric tons) of coal in 2023. If coal contains 3.5% sulfur, how many grams of sulfur were released by burning coal in 2023 in the US? Write your answer in scientific notation. Your submission for this project must be handwritten. You must show your work to receive credit for this problem.  (1 metric ton = 1,000,000 grams) (5 points)

References

“Acid Rain.” YouTube, Fuse School, 10 Aug. 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nf8cuvl62Vc.

“Reducing Acid Rain Or Its Effect.” YouTube, Fuse School, 10 Aug. 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=VILCk2CpUCw.

“Effects of Acid Rain.” EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, 4 May 2020, www.epa.gov/acidrain/effects-acid-rain.

Sönnichsen, Published by N., and Jul 14. “Coal Consumption United States 2006-2019.” Statista, 14 July 2020, www.statista.com/statistics/243934/coal-consumption-in-the-united-states/.

“U.S. Energy Information Administration – EIA – Independent Statistics and Analysis.” Fossil Fuels Still Dominate U.S. Energy Consumption despite Recent Market Share Decline – Today in Energy – U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), 1 July 2016, www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=26912.

“What Is Acid Rain?” EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, 12 May 2020, www.epa.gov/acidrain/what-acid-rain.

This page was created on February 15, 2023, and was last updated on August 15, 2024.

©2023 Catherine Haslag. All Rights Reserved.