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Activity 4:
Create Acid Rain in Your Own Kitchen!
Acid rain is caused by air pollution. When
clean rain water falls down through air that is polluted, the
rainwater becomes polluted. It becomes very acid. This
experiment will show you what that means.
Acid rain has killed many trees in the
northeast United States, especially in the past 20 years.
You will need:
- Six short strips of masking tape to use
as labels
- A pen or marker
- Three 1-quart jars with lids
- Measuring cups
- A bottle of vinegar or lemon juice
- Tap water
- Three small potted plants that you're
willing to sacrifice in the name of science
Here's What You Do
- Arrange the jars and the plants so that
each jar has a plant next to it.
- Make two labels that say "a little
acid."
- Measure 1/4 cup of vinegar or lemon
juice. Pour it into the first jar. Fill the jar the rest of
the way with tap water.
- Label the jar with one of the labels
that says, "a little acid."
- Label the plant next to it with the
other label that says, "a little acid."
- Make two labels that say "a lot of
acid."
- Measure one full cup of vinegar or
lemon juice.
- Pour it into the second jar. Fill the
jar the rest of the way with tap water.
- Label the jar with one of the labels
that says, "a lot of acid."
- Label the plant next to it with the
other label that says, "a lot of acid."
- Make two labels that say, "tap water."
- Fill the last jar with tap water.
- Label the jar with one of the labels
that says, "tap water."
- Label the last plant with the other
labels that says, "tap water."
- Set the plants next to each other, so
they get the same amount of sunlight.
- Every 2 to 4 days, water the plants
with the water from the jar that has the label that matches
the plant's label.
- Write down what you see and when you
see it.
Questions to Answer
- What happens to each plant?
- What happens to the color of the plant
leaves?
- Do the plant stems change? How?
- Which plant changes the most in the
shortest amount of time?
- What happens to the plant that gets "a
lot of acid"?
- What happens to the plant that gets "a
little acid"?
- What happens to the plant that gets
"tap water"?
- Do the plants in your community show
signs of acid rain?
- How can we prevent acid rain?
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