nitric+acid+rain

**__ What is nitric acid rain? __**     Nitric acid has no color and has a bad odor to it. It comes in large amounts when there are thunderstorms. Nitric acid only has color if it is kepped in jars for a while.[1] When rain water is below a 5.6 on the ph scale it is considered to be acid rain.[4] Some of the effects on human you can get really sick. You can stop breathing if you are by it too long or are not wearing protective gear when you are using it. It gets into you body when you breath or it can come in through the skin. Nitric acid can burn through many things such as skin and many metals.[1]Nitric acid can kills some animals because it is used in fertilizers and when you put it in your yard and then you water it or it rains it might go into bodies of water and kill fish. This can kill fish just like the gray area is dying. It gets into a body of water when you water the fertilizer and it goes into the ground and goes through the soil and will eventually go into a body of water. The fish would breath in the dissolved oxygen but they aren't just breathing in dissolved oxygen they are breathing in nitric acid and just like humans. The nitric acid would get them sick or they could stop breathing from the acid. This also contribute to other animals to because if any types of bird are eating fish then then the fish is spreading the nitric acid that got in them to the bids or other animals and, they would also die off[3] When the water in the pond, lake stream, ect reachs below a 4.5 on the ph scale fish will began dieing because the water is to acidic. freshwater shrimp start to die when ph in the water is below 6. When the ph is 5.5 all the bottom dwelling decomposers will die. Aquatic plants grow best with a ph bewteen 7 and 9.2.[4] ** __**Why is nitric acid rain an environmental problem?**__ Nitric acid rain is a problem because if nitric turns the ph of the water below 5.5 all bottom dwelling decomposers will die off meaning that all the un-decomposed food is left to rot at the bottom of the water which eventually will pollute the water for all fish to swim in cloging there gills and eyes eventually killing them. If acid rain continues to be a problem then eventually all aquatic life will die and there will be none left.[4] __ **What is nitric acid used for?** __ **Nitric acid is used in fertilizers and is used also in some chemical test. Also nitric acid is used in some explosives. Nitric acid was one of the first acid known and can burn through metals but not gold or platinum. They would used nitric acid to see if it was real gold or platinum.[1]**
 * __ What are the effects of nitric acid rain?  __**
 * __How is nitric acidic caused? __**
 * Nitric acid is caused by cars and trucks. Some power plants and other factories also cause nitric acid rain[2]

[|**Acid rain video**][5]

Source: 2.Berry, Luke Detective Notebook, Cincinnati, Nagel Middle school, January 2009    [2]** **3. Arlinghaus, Samantha Detective Notebook, Cicinnati, Nagle Middle School, January 2009 [3] 4.** Acid rain, 2002, Thinkquest, January 8, 2009, http://libary.thinkquest.org/CRO215471/acid_rain.htm 5.How stuff works videos, Thursday, October, 30, 2008,http://videos.howstuffworks.com/hsw/6191-energy-acid-rain-video.htm
 *   1.Busch, Marianna A. "Nitric acid." __World Book Online Reference Center__. 2008. [Place of access.] 16 Dec. 2008 [1]