Acid Rain

Effects of Acid Rain on the environment. The “pH” scale is explained. pH of the rain across the country over time, and why the numbers are what they are. How the sulfur in the coal turns into acid rain and dry acid precipitate. How nitrous oxide compounds (NOx) turn into acid rain too. How nuclear reaction analysis can prove that coal burning causes acid rain. Limits on Sulfur emissions set by the US government.

[krzosu]

This guy deserves a raise or smth for his efforts in the name of schoolarship/science world wide xD Cheers !

[loooonieeee]

I really enjoy listening to you explain things in depth. Please continue making videos like this, especially the ones about radioactivity.

[VoltageLP]

Dry Acid Precipitates is actually the name of my band!!!

[ZIlberbot]

thanks for such details and good examples !

[TheDuckofDoom.]

Since the mid 90s sulfur deposited by rain has dropped so much that many farmers have had to change fertilizer formulas to add more sulfur. Probably a good thing, better to apply a little precisely to specific land where needed rather than broadcasting over half a continent.
The nitric acid though is chemically quite a different issue from sulfuric acid, the sulfur has a more persistent acidifying effect in waterways. The nitric is quickly broken down into fertilizer in either soil or surface water; the big problem with Nitrogen then, as far as I know, is that the NOx compounds while in the air act as catalysts with ozone or react with other pollutants to cause rather noxious smog.

[AltereggoLol]

Boy, we really paid the toll for all that burning.

[dhertsens]

"Even with scientific facts, communities will still remain skeptical"... ain't that the bloody truth. And a sad truth too

[dennisdavis]

I painted cars back in the 70s 80s, and acid rain would ruin factory paint, but we lived 10 miles from a major coal power plant. Everyone believed around here the acid rain was from the power plant.

[LDoctorKC]

Curious - the coal plant where I grew up in Springdale PA has modified the stacks to scrub the discharge of these particles and CO2. Does this work? Secondly, what is the effect on our lungs when unregulated Diesel pickup trucks have on our lungs? I literally can’t stand the smell of an untuned diesel, yet there is no monitoring of them. Thanks so much.

[kritter]

You really do nice videos here and I enjoy watching them! And for a physicist, you have explained the problem of acidic rain really well. Fortunately we have got rid of it due do electro-static de-ashification, desulfurization and catalytic denitrification of exhaust gases.

About the rare earth elements.... - and my former professor in chemistry would completely agree with me: stick to physics please and leave chemistry to chemists 😂

Those elements are not rare at all.

They are just called that way because there are very few rare places on this world where they are enriched. Coz all of those (except one hardly existing one) are pretty much dissipated/diluted in soil and rocks and thus harvesting them makes no sense at all from the economic point of view. The rarest (non-radioactive) element of those is far more common than gold or platinum.

Greetings from an M.Sc. in chemistry.

[afkbeto]

There are some errors here. Nitrogen in the air actually is fairly stable due to their strong molecule bond in N2, but in coal it would be different, so mostly NOx comes from coal.


Furthermore, there is no NO3, but rather N2O5 which is fairly unstable.

[nukemman]

That's it, I'm going to stop breathing!

[brettmoore]

Do humans make more acid rain than one volcano?