Acid Rain

Aim:
To show the effects of acid rain.


Equipment:
- Petri dish
- Weighing boat,
- Chunk of apple,
- Universal indicator,
- Bromythynol blue,
- Sodium sulfide,
- Baby flower petal,
- Calcium carbonate,
- Acid,
- Water.

Method:
1. Set chunk of apple in petri dish.
2. Drop water onto it to make sure it is moist.
3. Set baby flower petal in petri dish. Do not let it touch the apple chunk.
4. Moisten the baby flower petal with water.
5. Add scoop of calcium carbonate. Do not let it touch either the chunk of apple or flower petal.
6. Moisten calcium carbonate with water.
7. Add three drops of universal indicator.
8. Add three drops of bromythynol blue.
Do not let any of these touch.
9. Add scoop of sodium sulfide to weighing boat.
10. Dissolve sodium sulfide in as little water as possible.
11. Set the weighing boat in the middle of the petri dish.
12. Add five drops of acid to the weighing boat. Quickly set the lid on the petri dish.

Results:
The acid rain hardened the apple, dried out the flower petal, and made the calcium carbonate expand. The bromythynol blue detected that there was acid in the air around it, and it's colour changed from blue to green. The universal indicator also sensed that there was acid in the air around it, and it's colour changed from green to red.

Discussion:
Acid rain occurs when fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas are burned. This releases oxides of carbon, sulfur, and nitrogen into the air, which then dissolves into the water in clouds, making rainwater more acidic than normal. When this occurs, it is known as 'acid rain.'