The Chemistry of Precipitation: Perspectives on Potential Impacts on the Corrosion of Metals

The corrosion effects of acid deposition can be assessed properly only if the frequencies of occurrence of different forms of precipitation are specified and if the chemical constitutents and reactions in precipitation are understood. Knowledge of precipitation chemistry is increasing at a rapid rate, and it is therefore useful to summarize the present understanding about the corrosive constituents that occur in precipitation, their typical concentrations, their temporal variability, and their probable long-term trends. Such information is given in this paper for acidity, sulfate, nitrate, chloride, ammonium, and organic acids in rain, fog, and dew.