If acids are compounds that release protons (H+), how is it that SOx and NOx cause acid rain?

Question

a. They react with hydrogen gas in the atmosphere to produce acids.

b. There is not sufficient evidence to indicate that the compounds actually do cause acid rain

c. They react with water to form acids.

d. They react woth ammonia to form acids.

Answer 1

Seebeegal had a great answer until she put that addition.  A "proton" is just another name for a hydrogen ion or H+.  It is not a nuclear reaction.  You are simply removing an H+ from a compound, not an atom.  Hydrogen atoms are just a proton and an electron.  When it loses its electron, it is simply a proton and is symbolized H+.

Acids are typically called "proton donors" because they lose an H+ when dissolved in water.  HCl becomes H+ and Cl-. . . it donates a proton.

These are the very simplified equations for acid rain.  It is actually very complicated and none of those answers are completely correct:

SOx - (combines with oxygen to produce) --> SO2 (reacts with H2O) -->H2SO4 (sulfuric acid)

NOx - (combines with oxygen to produce) --> NO2 (reacts with H2O) --> HNO3 (Nitric Acid)

CO2 + H2O --> H2CO3 (carbonic acid)

It is not really oxygen that they are reacting with, it is superoxide ions and such.  So, "C" is correct for carbon dioxide, but not the others.  They react with ions in the air first to form acids and then dissolve in the water to form acid rain.

Answer 2

answer is   C

Answer 3

not to be mean but wat???

Answer 4

According to your question, the acid would be an Arrhenius one, which ionizes in water to give off protons (other definitions expand the number of acids and bases).

In any case, in clouds, certain reactions preceed the formation of unstable compounds which would shortly after react with water to form an acid. For example, in the presence of water, SO3 compounds form sulfuric acid (H2SO4), which is a very strong acid.

The best answer would be C.

Edit: That Guy, an Arrhenius acid MUST have hydrogens or it will not give off protons. The reaction you are suggesting (plucking a proton from any element) is a nuclear, not chemical reaction, and is not routinely found in acid/base chemistry.

Edit: M.H., you misunderstood me. Of course the reaction is not nuclear; I am pointing out to That Guy that an Arrhenius acid must have hydrogen (which, as you stated, is a proton with an electron).

Answer 5

Acids may be compounds that release protons, but that does not automaticall mean that they have H+ in them to begin with. A  proton, which can chemically be written as H+, does not necessarily need to contain H to begin with. Because H is a neutral atom, containing a proton, and an electron, but H+ is simply a proton by itself, which means that H+ is just an easy way to writ Proton.