Question

(a) Name two acids that are usually present in rain water.
(b) How these acids affect our hearitage monuments such as Taj Mahal ?

Answer 1

(a) Sulphuric acid `(H_(2)SO_(4))` and Nitric acid `(HNO_(3))`
(b) The acids present in acid rain react with marble of Taj Mahal of Agra (U.P.) and corrode it. Chemical reactions involved are:
`underset(("Marble")) underset("Calcium carbonate") (CaCO_(3))+underset("Sulphuric acid")(H_(2)SO_(4))to underset("Calcium sulphate")(CaSO_(4))+underset("Carbon dioxide")(CO_(2))+underset("Water")(H_(2)O)`
`underset("Marble")(CaCO_(3))+underset("NItric acid")(HNO_(3))to underset("Calcium nitrate")(Ca(NO_(3))_(2))+CO_(2)+H_(2)O`