From: Geoff Ruth (gruth@leadershiphigh.org)
Date: Mon Apr 15 2002 - 19:40:48 PDT
Message-Id: <a05010403b8e13da5d014@[192.168.1.25]> Date: Mon, 15 Apr 2002 19:40:48 -0700 From: Geoff Ruth <gruth@leadershiphigh.org> Subject: Re: pinhole Acid Rain Questions
>One of my environmental science students is doing an independent
>study on acid rain and had a number of chem questions. I feel
>pretty ill equipped to help her understand the chemistry. Can
>anyone help her out with these questions?
>Thanks,
>Regan Brooks
>
>Here are a few of her questions:
>
>3. please explain the process of combustion.
the combination of any substance with oxygen, producing heat.
Combustion often/usually involve the burning of organic substances
(molecules containing carbon atoms as the 'backbone' of the molecule)
>
>4. what is gypsum?
hydrated CaSO4, or calcium sulfate with 2 water molecules associated with it
used in the building industry (as plaster and as drywall) as well as
in manufacturing different stuff
>
>5. when a body of water has low alkalinity it is increasingly suseptable to
>changes in pH...is that suseptability in regards to both increases in
>acidity AND (basicness?)/ basic components.
That statement seems a bit off to me. A body of water's
susceptibility to pH changes is determined by how much buffering
capacity it has, not what its alkalinity or acidity is. A buffer is a
chemical (or better put, 2 forms of a chemical) that can 'absorb' the
addition of an acid or base without producing a pH change. Lakes with
lots of buffers in them are better able to absorb acid rain without
becoming acidic -- they have a high buffering capacity.
It's true that a lake that has a more or less neutral pH (with 'low
alkalinity') will become acidic more quickly than a lake that starts
with a low (basic) pH. However, like I said, I think buffering
capacity is more important.
>i hope these questions make sense
>thanx a bunch :)
>
>aLeX
>
>
>
>
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