Question

Gases responsible for acid rain are:
A.NO, \[C{O_2}\]
B.\[N{O_2},S{O_2}\]
C.CO, \[C{O_2}\]
D.\[C{O_2},S{O_2}\]

Answer 1

Hint: Acid rain is mainly caused by the reactions in the environment. It is caused by the pollutants in the air. Human activity is another reason for acid rain.


Complete step by step solution:
We know that we measure acidity by using pH scale. For an acidic substance pH will be less than 7.Acid rain is the deposition of acidic substances that appear in various forms. Both dry and wet deposition of acid rain is found and it can be carried by wind. Acid rain appears in the form of rain, snow or fog. The major source of acid rain is the reactions that occur in the environment. Some rain can be acidic with pH value of 5. But sometimes it becomes more acidic due to the activities of humans. Acid rain is formed by the reaction of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. When they are released in large amounts into the atmosphere they will react with water, oxygen or any other substances. Then they will form more acidic pollutants. \[S{O_2}\] and \[N{O_2}\] easily reacts with water. These acidic pollutants can travel long distances. Normal precipitation of rain or snow is not harmful. This will react with non-acidic substances. This will be a normal neutralization reaction. But, when this precipitation occurs in large amounts other alkaline materials can’t neutralize it. So, these neutralizing materials can be washed away by the rain. Human activities are the main cause of this. Large amounts of chemicals are released into the air from factories. This will change the composition of gaseous mixture in the air. Burning of fossil fuels, exhaust from vehicles releases \[S{O_2}\] and \[N{O_2}\] . This acid rain causes damage to both humans and plants. They will damage crops, rivers and cause health issues to animals.

Hence the correct answer is B i.e \[S{O_2}\] and \[N{O_2}\] are the reason for acid rain.

Note: pH scale is used to measure acidity or basicity. For acidic substances it will be less than 7 and for basic substances it will be greater than 7. Acid deposition in dry form can be inhaled by the people. This will cause severe health issues. Due to the release of acidic substances into lakes, lake water becomes more acidic and that will lead to the death of fishes and other aquatic organisms. Power plants are the major source of sulfur dioxide. Acid rain can be reduced by using renewable energy sources such as wind power and solar. Car manufactures should be used to reduce emission of gases.