Alkaline surprise for acid rain formation
Ammonia can catalyse the hydrolysis of sulfur trioxide to sulfuric acid in the atmosphere
Simulation experiments have revealed that sulfuric acid formation in the lowest part of the atmosphere can be catalysed by a base, namely ammonia. What’s more, ammonia appears to out-compete other known catalysts, leading the researchers who made the discovery to speculate that the unusual pathway could play a key role in the formation of acid rain.