Acid rain is mainly a mixture of

Explanation:

• Acid rain means the presence of excessive acids in rainwater.
• Acid rain is mainly a mixture of sulphuric acid and nitric acid

• The causes of acid rain are Sulfur and Nitrogen particles which get mixed with the wet components of rain.
• Sulfur and Nitrogen particles that get mixed with water are found in two ways either man-made as the emissions are given out from industries or by natural causes.
• Natural causes of acid rain are oxides of sulfur and nitrogen from volcanoes, swamps, and plankton in the oceans.
• However, most of the acids are produced by human activities like power generation from fossil fuels which produces around 70% of the SO2 produced in the atmosphere. However, this is not a natural source but is an anthropogenic source.

​Additional Information

Sources of acid rain-

• ​Sulfur-
  • ​Seas and oceans 
  • Volcanic eruptions
  • Biological processes in the soil
  • Burning of coal
  • Petroleum product
  • Industries
• Nitrogen-
  • Lightening
  • Volcanic eruptions
  • Biological activity
  • Forest fires
  • Combustion of oil and coal
• Formic Acid-
  • Biomass burning due to forest fires causes the emission of formic acid (HCOOH) and formaldehyde (HCHO) into the atmosphere.
  • A large fraction of formaldehyde gets photo-oxidation and forms formic acid in the atmosphere.
  • The above-mentioned three components are the main compound that causes acidification of rain in the atmosphere.