Acid Rain and Alkalinity of the Lakes in Canada Essay

Acid Rain and Alkalinity of the Lakes in Canada - Essay suitIn the same way, touch vegetations also determines the tartity or alkalinity of the lake, such as types of trees, soil, and decaying leaves. Humus (layers of decaying leaves) has juicy organic matter and they produce astringents similar to vinegar.Another determinant of lakes is its location and natural bases, that is, answer lies in geology. If the lake has surrounding of rocks containing limestone contain bases, then acids will be reduced (neutralized) by the natural bases and the pH of the lake will inhabit nearly the same. Calcite (CaCO3) greatly mitigates the effects of acid rain. Calcite is the principal mineral that makes up the rock limestone. For example, the case of sulphuric acid falling on limestone can be understood by the following counterbalanceionThe sulphuric acid is changed into mineral gypsum (CaSO4.H2O) and Carbon dioxide is printd. Thus, lakes located on limestone terrains will not suffer the co nsequences of acid rain. On the other hand, rocks which contain granite contain has very little bases and is unable to neutralize the acerb ingredients. Eastern Canada is veneering widespread acidification of lakes due to acid rain, and presence of granite rocks. In Ontario approximately 1200 lakes are dead.Acid rain refers to all types of downfall - rain, sleet, fog, hail, snow that has a pH lower than the 5.6 average of rainwater. Note that the rain water is naturally pretty acidic due to equilibration with atmospheric carbon dioxide. The pure rain waters acidity is between pH 5.6-5.7, more or less pH readings vary depending upon place to place and amount of other gases present in the walkover, such as nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxide.The pH scale refers to the free hydrogen ions (electrically charged atoms) in water and a number that ranges from 0 to 14. Seven is considered neutral, that is, neither acidic nor basic. Number less than seven are acidic and those higher it is basic or alkaline. The pH scale is logarithmic (base 10), and not linear. For example, pH 3 is 10 times more acidic than pH 4 and 100 times more than pH 5.The physical composition of acid in the acid rain is due to two kinds of air pollutants - sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). These pollutants react with gaseous water in the atmosphere to form sulphuric acid (H2SO4) and nitric acid (HNO3). The trip the light fantastic process explains the formation of acid solutions by SO2. First the sulfur dioxide molecules react with water molecules and forms molecules of sulfurous acidSO2(gas) + H2O(liquid) H2SO3(aq)Then the Sulfurous acid molecules reacts with water and produces an equilibrium with H+(aq) and hydrogen sulfite. Because the Sulfurous acid only partially ionizes into H+(aq) so it is considered as a weak acidH2SO3(aq) + H2O(liquid) H+(aq) + HSO3(aq)Sulfur dioxide also reacts with oxygen or ozone and form sulfur trioxideSO2(gas) + O2(gas) + 2SO3(gas)SO2(gas) + O3(ga s) SO3(gas) + O2(gas)Then the sulfur trioxide reacts with the atmospheric moisture to form sulfuric acidSO3(gas) + H2O(liquid) H2SO4(aq)The sulfuric acid which is a strong acid, completely ionizes in the atmospheric precipitation to release H+(aq) ionsH2SO4(aq) H+(aq) + HSO4-(aq)These aqueous hydrogen are responsible for the acidic effects in the acid rain.In Canada about 60% of pollution is caused by transportation emission. Car engines uses gasoline, which burn using air as a source of oxygen. Nitrogen is the primary component of air and under high temperature intimate the car engine it forms the pollutant nitrogen monoxide (NO). Under sunlight a series of secondary reactions takes place and