Acid deposition questions
Assignment: Questions on Topic 8.5 : Acid deposition
This page of questions can be marked as direct student access either for assigning as a test or for students to work on in their own time. If you do not wish to use student access, links to downloadable versions of the questions and, separately the worked answers, can be found at Printable versions of written tasks.
Carbon dioxide is naturally present in rain water as carbonic acid.
i. Explain why pure rain water containing dissolved carbon dioxide cannot have a pH lower than 5.6.
ii. How much more acidic than rain water with a pH of 5.6 is a sample of acid rain with a pH of 4.6 ?
i. Nitrogen oxide, NO, is produced in car engines. Give the equations to show how it eventually forms nitric acid, HNO3 and nitrous acid, HNO2 in the atmosphere.
ii. Sulfur dioxide, SO2, is formed when S-containing fossils fuels are combusted. Give the equations to show how it eventually forms sulfuric acid, H2SO4, and sulphurous acid, H2SO3, in the atmosphere.
The image shows a statue of a lion in Leeds, U.K. that has been badly affected by acid deposition.
Give the ionic equation for the reaction of acid with the carbonate ions in the statue.
Explain how adding either calcium hydroxide or calcium oxide can counter the effects of acidification of lakes.