Acid Rain Experiment

What is Acid Rain? How Does It Form?
Acid rain is caused by fossil fuels being released from things such as factories and certain types of gases that are released will become acidic when in contact with water. The gases rise up to the clouds and it would mix with the water in the clouds that would normally fall down as rain. This reaction of the gases mixing with the rain water in the clouds turn the water slightly more acidic and that causes acid rain.

Why Does It Matter?
Although it wouldn't be enough to harm a human over a short period of time, long periods of acid rain on the environment may have effects. Building materials may start to corrode - which means to eat away - and this can weaken the structure. Living things such as trees, plants and flowers can start to appear less lively and slowly die if exposed to acid rain too long. Lakes and ponds can rise in its acidic levels and harm wildlife like fish living in it.

Acid Rain Experiment:

Method:
1) Set up petri dish, add a few drops of water to these.
2 Add 1 spatula of sodium sulfide to weigh boat.
3) Add 5 drops of sulfuric acid and quickly put lid on.
4) Watch the effects take place.


Start:

Effects:


Observations:
The immediate effects were that the litmus paper went from blue to red, indicating that there was an acid present. The Universal Indicator changed colour from a blue colour to a pink colour, and the bromothymol blue changed colour from blue to a yellowy-green colour. No immediate effects were visible to the calcium carbonate, apple or the leaf. We would expect the leaf to have lost its colour, since the acid is bleaching it. The powder should have been starting to have been getting eaten away. Then the apple would have started becoming acidic, so if you were to apply a litmus paper on the apple it would have turned out as acidic.