If There's Acid Rain, Is There Basic Rain?

You've probably heard of acid rain: rain that's more acidic than normal because of pollution in the atmosphere. But, if rain can become more acidic, shouldn't it also be able to become more basic?
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[@festerallday]

Here in Hawaii, When the lava flow runs into the ocean it makes a vapor plume. This is full of HCl from the ocean water reacting to the heat. Then it becomes a cloud and rains down on the island. I've collected some rainwater and measured a pH of 3.4-3.5

[@feynstein1004]

I sure am glad I don't live there.

[@dudepool7530]

congratulations, you are the first comment ive come across not making an idiotic base/acid joke, and are instead adding to the science. gold star for you!

[@kylestanley7843]

@@dudepool7530 because people can't create humor through science :p

[@Master_Therion]

I know a guy who did so much acid in the 60's he earned a pH PhD.

[@jasonpeng5798]

lol

[@schadenfreudebuddha]

did he get headaches? did he need some bufferin? is bufferin even still a thing?

[@taolandin]

That's actually pretty funny.

[@alant5954]

Haha

[@MrFreakHeavy]

Sorry to kill your joke, but if he did acid, he'd be "losing" a pH.............

[@veranet99]

What kind of maniac puts zero on the right and 14 on the left?

[@flamebeard10339]

totally maniacal

[@valeriekesslerangeliclizar1386]

Apparently that maniac was named Søren Peder Lauritz Sørensenat.

[@WolfLykaios]

I don't know, but I like having the lucky number in the middle.

[@craigme2583]

Valerie Kessler so thats how its done? Looked sooo wrong. But then who decided 7 was nuetral? Like how about hudrrr using zero.

[@indigophoenix12]

craig me: math decided the pH scale. It’s actually logarithmic scale based on the % of Hydrogen ions found in (and of Hydroxide.) a Neutral pH, 7 means that there is an even amount of H+ ions and OH-. 0 does exist. Things that have a 0 pH, have about 100000000000000 (should be 14 zeros) times more H+ than OH. The 0-14 numbers we measure just tell us what number to put in the calculator to count ions.

[@MarkThePage]

Of course basic rain exists. It's what happens when you inject clouds with pumpkin spice lattes.

[@WolfLykaios]

MarkThePage ... what?

[@thedefenestrator2994]

#Basic white clouds

[@TheMuddySea]

pumpkin spice lattes are acidic

[@hasanmuhammad6651]

@@TheMuddySea i know its been 2 years but its a joke on how people who drink the pumpkin spice latte is 'basic' *are

[@TheMuddySea]

@@hasanmuhammad6651 Thanks for the belated reply, friendly stranger!

[@sebastianelytron8450]

As usual when it comes to science on KZbin, SciShow *rains* supreme. This video covers all the *bases.*

[@ZombieBarioth]

notquiteordinary And by side-stepping the issue, you just proved theirs. Seems we have a stalemate.

[@saryshinobi]

Your comment is puntastic

[@chorosso5259]

reign*

[@bytefu]

I can *see* where the *puns* are.

[@dexis9412]

Sebastian Elytron you may have won best pun, but I at least get a precipitation award

[@grapefruitsimmons]

♪Acid Rain, some stay dry and others feel the pain♪

[@eaterdrinker000]

You know, I could have sworn that Tay Zonday uploaded Chocolate Rain during the summer of '06, but I just checked Wikipedia and it's telling me that it was 2007. I guess I'm just "old" in more ways than one.

[@ayeeyee9634]

The year I was born

[@Nihilnovus]

(Insert basic jokes)

[@peter4210]

Ba Si C

[@dynamicworlds1]

Acidic jokes just make people sour

[@LadyAneh]

Ammonia is so basic, it orders pumpkin spice lattes while listening to Taylor Swift.

[@TylerP223]

10 PRINT "Using GOTO is not harmful to teaching beginners how to program." 20 GOTO 10 RUN

[@two-face1041]

tragoedia veritas how basic of you

[@PinkChucky15]

Oh dear, I really wouldn’t want stomach acid raining down on me.

[@explodingpineapple7471]

Neither would I. It would probably do serious damage to your skin, so you had to be super careful when going outside.

[@melissawickersham9912]

Yuck.

[@talibtyagi5386]

Be careful 😉

[@DuluthTW]

I think it was a totally valid question. Thanks for the great info!

[@pauvane]

Exactly! Not “weird”

[@limiv5272]

I don't understand why people interpret the word "weird" as something bad. It just means strange/unusual/unexpected and such things can be very positive

[@DuluthTW]

Indeed, I interpreted it as "unexpected/unusual" as it was used in the video.

[@crisdekker8223]

Put in some litmus. If it's basic you'll get purple rain. Edit: I stand corrected, litmus purpler than phenolphtalein.

[@harshvirgrewal2403]

Phenolphthalein* and maybe methyl orange for that red rain x)

[@nobody6317]

Methyl orange will turn red in acids Phenolphthalein will turn PINK in alkalis

[@crisdekker8223]

Yeah, but purple pun > pink pun.

[@mimikal7548]

PURPLE RAIN, PURPLE RAIN

[@mabhatter4294]

@@harshvirgrewal2403 One of my favorite songs. I have distinct memories of cycling home on an 80mile bike ride at 20MPH singing that in my mid 20s. I'm sure many many others also do :P

[@gandolin66]

You should give examples for the source of basic rain (e. g., volcanic eruption) and should also mention, that acids derive from oxides of non-metal elements, while bases derive from metal oxides. Non-metal oxides are often gases, metal oxides are often solid compounds under standard conditions. So it becomes clear that there must be a special event such a volcanic eruption to transport solid oxides into the atmosphere to make them react with rain water to bases. Gases with a less density than air, in contrast, ascend into the atmoshere and give with water the respective acid falling down to the ground as the well-known acid rain.

[@Riku16994]

everyone ignores basic rains only because it's not interesting, but it has a heart too and deserves love

[@orange1326]

Kicked off my shoes, tripped acid in the rain

[@jamesgarrett7844]

Wore my jacket as a cape, and my umbrella as a cane

[@susnatachattopadhyay4867]

I was always curious about this topic! Thanks SciShow

[@LadyAneh]

You can tell if it’s basic rain when it orders a grande pumpkin spice Frappuccino at Starbucks the first day of October.

[@thoughticality6044]

I’m not a patreon subber, but I have a pretty good video idea: Why do we like spices and seasonings? Think about it, the theory is that we have taste buds and olfactory senses so our body can tell the nutrients going into our body, but I don’t think there are that many nutrients in seasoning, especially in the small amounts we use, so why do we even taste and smell spices?

[@timm8900]

In the late 1950's the majority of the cement manufacturers in the US added dust control equipment because the calcium rich dust could be recycled and sold as cement. Most of these plants were in the central north of the US in Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, and such. Oddly the cement industry tended to be east of (read down wind of) the major steel making hubs of Chicago, Cleveland and Pittsburgh. Prior to the addition of the dust control the areas adjacent to the cement plants tended to be covered in white calcium dust. Much of this dust also went into the atmosphere. Once the cement plants installed the dust control systems, we began to see rapid escalations of acid rain. It took years before anyone noticed the somewhat symbiotic relationship between an acidic industry and a basic one located so close together. By the time the connection was understood, the EPA had been created, and modern environmentalism had been born. Since the cement dust was already removed, the steel mills were then forced to install scrubbers to remove the acid. These scrubbers use Calcium that comes from limestone quarries, mostly at cement plants.

[@JustinY.]

You sure need a basic understanding of chemistry to understand this video, that's to be sure.

[@lordsponge10]

Hi there

[@fandyus4125]

Please stop it with these awful jokes.

[@orange1326]

Justin Y. Good one

[@zed1stwizard]

Fandyus We will try not to be to caustic.

[@catherinevo6060]

Hey

[@shorty1815]

@scishow first of all: Please call it alkaline rain (alkalinity describes the position on the pH-scale, basicness is how much a Proton/H+ can be accepted or to be precise how much a pair of electrons can be donated). Secondly: Calcium alone does not affect the acidity of anything (despite you won't be able to solve it in water) it's mostly carbonates, which react as a weak base. Since there is a lot of calcium carbonate, you are not completely off. Hope you can read this and thanks for your wonderful videos!

[@musclehank6067]

Basic Rain Is For The Weak!

[@zoofan9280]

Muscle Hank hilarious love your comments

[@musclehank6067]

+Dino Fan 👍

[@musclehank6067]

+Zarif Safwan Hoque 👎

[@powdermnky007]

How to basic rain

[@sansirow4595]

Now this is getting annoying...better jokes or stop, please

[@squirmtastic]

Can both acidity and basicness be equally as bad? Or is one typically worse/more harmful than the other (when measured at the same distance from 7)?

[@valeriekesslerangeliclizar1386]

This is such a brilliant question i never would have considered. Thanks for teaching me something new.

[@bepisp7064]

**Begins raining starbucks** "Wow it's *BASIC* eks dee"

[@PinkyGhost]

But what would basic rain do to the environment?

[@Shaheen_Hassan]

@Viktor Samoja Bases don't react with carbonate and silicate buildings. And most basic rains which are very rare have pH from 8.5 to 9.5 so they are not strongly basic that can damage plants and animals.

[@mordorimzrobimy]

Another important factor here is that most metal oxides are solid, meaning they don't mix with the water in the atmosphere as well. And metal oxides are the strongest bases around.

[@akashshanmugam7162]

ALKALI RAIN

[@bcubed72]

2:35 Isn't "calcium carbonate" rocks? I don't see what dumping rocks (or rock dust) in the air is gonna do...

[@Alr1ghtyThen]

Finally a good question from patreon

[@AlexCFaulkner]

if we call it Acid rain, shouldn't we call the other Base rain? or Basic and Acidic?

[@___-dn2ru]

Alex Faulkner Exactly

[@Babarudra]

No, because watch the episode.

[@rach_laze]

No because normal rain is acidic too

[@dynamicworlds1]

It's a semantic point people, re-read what he typed.

[@jessv2572]

well i guess since most rain is "acidic rain", until the pH is below 5, then it becomes "acid rain". So applying the same principle, until the pH reaches above 9 that could be "basic rain", and above 9 is "base rain".

[@lucash8234]

Wouldn't it be base rain? Yes, I'm fun at parties.

[@rach_laze]

bookmobile 77 no bc basic is the adjective for the state of being a base (which I'm guessing means the same as alkali we don't use base in england) so linguistically it would be basic not base

[@lucash8234]

Rachel Lazenby But acidic is also an adjective. By the same logic we would say acidic rain. We don't.

[@craigme2583]

Go back to basics guys...

[@lockhrt999]

HowtoBasic Rain.

[@3800S1]

lol, was literally just saying that as I scrolled past.

[@neilisbored2177]

Cut to footage of repeatedly throwing calcium carbonate into the air, oddly edited.

[@theoverseer393]

_IT’S RAINING EGGS!_ *HALLELUJAH* _IT’S RAINING EGGS!_ *AMEN!*

[@DasIllu]

In germany (and maybe elsewhere) you can sometimes see helicopters dumping chalk over forrests to raise the pH level, especially where there is a lot of pinals. And there is something like an artificial basic rain in the flue-gas desulfurization of coal power plants, which as a side product outputs gypsum for making plaster.

[@mattj.9285]

But is there chocolate rain?

[@zackku]

Matt J. If there is chocolate rain, will there be chocoearly rain as well ?

[@porkeyminch8044]

And if so, does it hurt?

[@John_C_J]

I've seen vanilla rain on my windshield.

[@maracachucho8701]

Some stay dry and others feel the pain.

[@Koozomec]

Matt J. I was looking for this very old meme.

[@charlesdorval394]

It's been a while since I went "Uh, good one" Thanks for the explanation :)

[@MikhaelAhava]

It's not a weird question, I see it perfectly logical.

[@BenMPMercer]

I never knew the opposite end to acid on the ph scale was called “Basic” to some people. Iv’e always known it as “Alkaline”

[@meg5986]

same, its generally refered to as alkaline in the uk but i have seen it refered to as a base is some of my gcse chemistry questions but i was never 100% sure if that was what they were talking about

[@elitehumpty3603]

The more you know

[@rocketsocks]

It's devastating. You're devastated right now.

[@weissfox5857]

So would basic rain corrode things in the same way acidic rain does or do something different? I wish that was explained in the video.

[@animistchannel2983]

If there was base rain as strong as some of those acid rains, it would eat the flesh off your bones, dissolve your lungs, peel the paint off your house, corrode metals, kill nearly every plant in sight, wipe out lake ecosystems, coat everything in toxic metal salts, and leave a desolate wasteland in its wake where only cyano-anaerobic bacteria and a few lichen could survive. It would be like it was raining Drano pipe cleaner, basically like setting the ecology back 3 billion years in the affected area This usually only happens where rain falls through thick clouds of certain active ashes in the air, or on the ground if there was a huge concentrated runoff from powdered lime, something like raw concrete mix. At such high pH levels, the bases will literally tear water molecules apart to partially neutralize themselves, so you don't see alkaline water in nature (like alkali lakes) at much over 9 anywhere that gets rain... a long way from the 12.5 (100x stronger) that would mirror the acid rain described in this video. Since life is made up of mostly water and organic acids, alkaline chemicals are super-bad for it. I've had just minor alkali burns, and even they are aggravating for days. It's like you are itching inside-out all the time, and there's no way to make it stop.

[@lksf9820]

I live in the countryside in the UK, I tested our rainwater and it was around neutral (7).

[@GG-sw4ws]

This concept of Basic rain saddens and confuses me!

[@theyhaveitcannedbread1988]

"Alkaline precipitation" for us intellectuals.

[@inanahsans6636]

bitter rain and sour rain*

[@siyacer]

Soapy moisture

[@EpicB]

Isn't it weird how we cook bacon and bake cookies?

[@animistchannel2983]

Nice! Also, we drive on parkways and park on a driveway, but that's an old one. I'll add yours to my list :)

[@EpicB]

I wasn't the first to make it up.

[@craigme2583]

I found that if i wear foil on my head the voices go away...🙃

[@youmaycallmeken]

No.

[@sleepingbackbone7581]

Love your shirt.

[@Ceruleanturkeyz]

Hmm, wouldn't have thought but makes sense.

[@CatfishShotgun]

Good question

[@adamn7409]

I once saw a rain cloud reading a john green novel.Can’t get more basic than that

[@clintbandura9018]

This guy is the only presenter on this channel i can watch

[@chuckgoecke]

The effluent from coal power plants became more acidic when they put the scrubbers, basically filters, to take out the coal ash, the solids. The acidic sulfur and nitrogen oxides are gasses, so they don't get filtered out, at least by dry filtration. Coal fly ash is pretty nasty stuff, with a lot micro fine silica plus other minerals like calcium oxides that make it basic. It is actually used to mix into cement to make concrete stronger. Neither the acid gasses, nor the basic fine solids are fun to breath, but I think the fly ash is worst in one's lungs. Like permanent damage: Silicosis. Black lung. And lung cancers - Mesothelioma. Coal just sucks as a fuel, and fortunately, natural gas, thanks to fracking tight gas shales and sands, is now actually cheaper than coal. Plus it has only around half the carbon for the same energy as coal. And coal power plants are super easy to convert over to gas. Sucks to be a coal miner, just like it sucked to be a buggy whip maker.

[@ellienixon3437]

Basic Rain goes to Ibiza and steals an ashtray

[@transcanada9028]

Should the question have been phrased as Alkaline Rain rather then Basic Rain?

[@harshivam208]

got a question. if "scientists" leave calcium carbonates on the ground then would co2 when reacted with acid be formed which is a greenhouse gas?

[@MaxArceus]

If the rain's wearing yoga pants browsing its macbook at the local starbucks, then yeah.

[@tisFrancesfault]

... your ph scale is backward and this makes me sad

[@javierhumbertowolnitzkywen4918]

tisFrancesfault thank you! I was looking for this comment. But I must say your reaction is rather mild, which I envy. In my case I was annoyed; even vexed by it.

[@windhelmguard5295]

right, if i'm remembering correctly what most people call the ph scale is actually the poh scale. also there are never hydrogen ions in a solution you never get H+ you always get H3O+

[@whotookhandlesnoopvids]

No

[@omartaveras165]

All jokes aside, this is a good question 😁

[@respberry123]

It's curious but when you think about it the answer is pretty self-explanatory.

[@seannot-telling9806]

Ok so they spray a base type substance on the ground. Then what happens to the gasses that are released? CO2 into the air and more environmental tongue wagging.

[@RamdomView]

I recommend against seeding clouds with calcium carbonate. The reaction is CaCO3 + (acid) Ca(anion) + water + CO2. I'd rather not further increase atmospheric carbon concentrations.

[@elitehumpty3603]

if only we could breath CO2 AND Oxygen

[@RamdomView]

@@elitehumpty3603 Carbon dioxide levels are rarely at human-dangerous levels, >5% of air molecules. Current average atmosphric carbon dioxide is about 0.04% of molecules at standard air pressure.

[@johnnychang4233]

It's not Basic rain but Alkalyne rain, For example ozonize water is 3(H^2O) + O^3 = 2(H^2O) + O^2 +2(OH)

[@dylanerickson2262]

Basic rain is what happens when an passenger jet full of sorority girls falls out of the sky.

[@TheRuuchanchannel]

When I hear the phrase Basic Rain I imagine it raining Ugg boots and Pumpkin spice lattes

[@GalluZ]

Spreading base-maker into the atmosphere seems a good idea. The cost, etc tho...

[@lordelliott42]

You didn't answer the one thing I wanted to know. If there was base rain with a very high pH, like 13 for example, how would that affect the environment?

[@LimeGreenTeknii]

Me: Acid rain. You: Basic rain.

[@AEther0238]

Because it's not called "Acidic Rain", it shouldn't be called "Basic Rain", it should be called "Base Rain".

[@colorfulme2552]

Great vid

[@0xEmmy]

0:57 no it isn't. We define the pH of water to be perfectly neutral, but it isn't always 7 - pH=-log[H+] decreases with temperature, as does pOH (corresponding match of pH for hydroxide).

[@McHeisenburger]

Basic rain is just pure Starbucks Frappuccino.

[@dreagasmic9839]

This video question is literally when a scientist hits a blunt

[@mr.bread3circus]

You guys should elaborate on this topic.... I.e. what's emitted from WET SURFACE AIR COOLERS around the world and how it affects the rain.

[@dreglanoth3320]

if rain was basic, you'd be able to wash in it without soap

[@Choc-Ice]

Basic? Alkaline? I'm confazzled. 😜💥

[@elitehumpty3603]

they are the same, just different name

[@mertgunes9854]

Nice t-shirt !

[@dch8308]

WHERE DID YOU GET THAT SHIRT BRO?!

[@tarkusd7534]

Acid Rain Some stay dry and others feel the pain Acid Rain *breathes away from the mic*

[@joaobatina7417]

You did a video about hair color and stress but the thing no one explains is why a certain hair can start to grow white and then regain color. Without having to do with a change in diet or rotine

[@oxiclean8536]

Basic rain is when you put a starbucks into a cloud

[@matteussilvestre8583]

Can it be found at Starbucks?

[@rojorohr4723]

They serve basic rain to basic white clouds

[@bjarnes.4423]

Nice Shirt!

[@KarlFFF]

Could you make a followup video about why acid rain is more prevalent? I'm guessing it's because combustion makes many gaseous oxides that can bond with water to make acids and that alkaline compounds burn to make these acidic oxides (like ammonia) or they are solids that are unlikely to get into the air in the first place.

[@origamikatakana]

Everyone know practice is a recipe for success. *What you don't know is that practice is also a recipe for acid rain* Which can be boiled, modified and treated to create delicious jambalaya!

[@alexandre4953]

Actually, a substance doesn't have a pH, but a pKa or pKb. The pH refers only to the concentration of H3O+ in a aqueous solution of one or more substances.

[@shouryasharma9370]

That question just came to mind .. I just searched it😂 thanks

[@kr4zyy]

Revision for my Chemistry exam

[@seasong7655]

If the basic rain meets the acid rain, it will create neutral rain

[@markosvafeas]

Basic rain is just pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks

[@ankitarawat1813]

Thnx fr de info..abt basic precipitation.. But what harm it causes? ?...do it cause any climatic changes???

[@neilisbored2177]

Are you ok?

[@pedroalvares7855]

The pH scale goes from 0 to 14 at 25 °C. At different temperatures the scale changes slightly. So water can have a pH different from 7 and is still neutral

[@MastermindAditya]

Hey Guys that's really awesome

[@coffeediction]

Please a video about what headaches or migraines are

[@catebrooks6779]

Q: Would sprinkling, say, baking soda, on the ground in Hawai'i near the volcano ash areas help let plants live? Some are starting to die already...

[@jasonr9407]

If rain was made out of Pumpkin Spice Latte, would it be basic rain?

[@Dyslexic-Artist-Theory-on-Time]

Why don’t you make a video on the alternative theories about the Universe on KZbin this would be interesting and good for the KZbin community!!!

[@gc6096]

Interesting question

[@ZaphkieI]

Acid rain- some stay dry and others feel the pain, acid rain.

[@domestic_k9919]

Pumpkin spice just falls from the sky

[@redline6802]

whats the opposite of chocolate rain?

[@amcat8015]

Redline Vanilla rain, duh.

[@scottseptember1992]

chocoearly rain

[@redline6802]

I just searched it and found that it actually exists so thank you for informing me of such an obvious in hindsight fact.

[@redline6802]

oh god, the puns are incoming quickly evacuate to your local pun shelter.

[@twilightjoltik3151]

Chocolate Sun

[@massimookissed1023]

Yeah... Calcium carbonate + acid releases CO2

[@rpsdata]

That was my first thought, too!

[@ptgunter1371]

Me as well. Searching the comments for this validation

[@SurmaSampo]

Also the rapid exchange of hydrogen ions generates a lot of heat.

[@rparl]

Just as there are two ends to the week, front and back, there are two bases, acid and alkali. But common parlance differs on both.

[@davidm.johnston8994]

It's not a weird question.

[@impartialshift8502]

Just let it rain Starbucks fraps and so forth....you'll get your basic out of it

[@Z0MGH4X]

So treated pool water rain is possible?

[@Marty_Destroyer_of_Worlds]

You told us so much except what basic rain would do