Acid
Rain
Raining
ruins.
Introduction
| Invitation
| Exploration
| Explanation
| Taking
Action |
Conclusion
Acid rain affects
humans in many ways. An indirect effect is damage to
buildings and monuments. Imagine going to the cemetary in
fifty years and being unable to read the grave markers of
people that were buried in 1999. There is a good possibility
that this could happen!
Objective:
- You will observe the effects of acid rain on various building materials.
Materials:
- small glass containers or baby food jars
- labels
- forceps or tweezers
- pHydrion paper
- plastic wrap
- distilled water
- vinegar
- copper (old pennies or copper metal)
- iron (nails or steel wool)
- marble chips
- granite chips
- plastic (pvc)
Top
Invitation:
Take an excursion using the internet or through your neighborhood to examine buildings and monuments. Look for signs of weathering and/or damage such as crumbling stone, peeling paint, unclear engravings or other signs. In class make a list of all the signs of weathering that you witnessed, and the types of building materials that were weathered.
Collect the equipment listed above in the materials section from your teacher, and perform the following experiment.
1. Label each of the 12 glass containers with the group name/number.2. Label 6 of the glass containers "distilled water" and the other 6 glass containers "acid rain."
3. Place a small sample of copper into one of the containers marked "distilled water" and another sample of copper into one of the containers marked "acid rain."
4. Repeat step 3 with each of the following building materials - aluminum, iron, marble, granite, and plastic.
5. Use the pHydrion paper to determine the pH of the vinegar.
6. Pour vinegar into the containers marked "acid rain" until the samples are covered with the vinegar.
7. Cover the containers with plastic wrap or with lids and set aside for 48 hours.
8. Draw two circles on a paper towel. Mark one circle "distilled water" and one circle "acid rain."
9. Using forceps, remove the copper samples from the containers, and place each in the appropriate circle on the paper towel.
10. Compare the two copper samples. Note any differences between the copper from the "distilled water" and the copper from the "acid rain." Record your observations in the chart on the data sheet.
11. Repeat step 9 with each of the other samples.
12. Use pHydrion paper to determine the pH of the "acid rain" in the containers with the marble and granite samples.
Top
Explanation:
Record your data
from above in the following chart, and record your findings
from the experiment on your
chart.
School: Location: Construction
Materials: Copper Aluminum Iron Marble Granite Plastic
A. Discuss the
following questions with your teacher and/or
classmates.
1. Why were materials placed in the distilled water?2. Which materials placed in the acid rain showed changes when compared to the materials placed in the distilled water?
3. Which material showed the greatest change?
4. Did any materials seem to be unaffected by the acid? Can you explain why?
5. What was the pH of the "acid rain" with the marble sample?
6. What was the pH of the "acid rain" with the granite sample?
7. Was the pH of the "acid rain" with the marble sample higher or lower than the pH of the "acid rain" with the granite sample? Explain what caused the change in pH.
B. Discuss your ideas about the following questions on the "Acid rain and Me?" bulletin board.
1. If the containers with marble and granite represent two different lakes, which lake would probably contain fish? On which lake would acid rain have the greatest effect?2. If you were a builder, what effect might the results of this experiment have on a choice of building materials?
3. Explain why bridges are painted?
Top
Taking
Action:
Choose one of the followings topics to research. Post your findings on the "Acid rain and Me?" bulletin board.
- Identify building/monuments in your community that are already stressed by acid rain or may be susceptible to the effects of acid rain?
- Contact a park ranger, historic curator, etc. and ask what is being done to monuments/buildings to prevent damage from acid rain. Inquire as to what citizens can do to help save monuments/buildings in your area.
You should have been able to see what an acid can do to different materials. Perhaps as you walk through the city or your neighborhood the next time, you will be more aware of damage to buildings that could possibly be caused by acid rain. Hopefully, you will also have ideas that could help prevent this damage and will act on these ideas. An important part of being a caretaker of the environment is taking action!
Evaluating the Acid Rain Module
The authors of the Acid Rain Module would like you to take a few minutes to answer five questions about the Acid Rain Module. Please link to the Acid Rain Assessment. Thank you very much for taking the time to do this.