When I was a kid I used to stick my tongue out when it was raining so I could taste it. Ok maybe I was the only one who did that but, with all the pollution in the air, trying to taste the rain might not be the best idea. Acid rain can corrode stone, metals and other substances and is caused by nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides reacting with water in the air, making the water more acidic.
Normal rain has a pH of about 5.6, because of its reaction with carbon dioxide in the air. If rain water has a pH below 5.0, it is then classified as acid rain. The ions produced when sulfur oxide and nitrogen oxide undergo hydrolysis can react with metals like iron, making the metal containing product aqueous. This allows water to wash the metal away and then we start to see corrosion.
Acid rain can also disrupt delicate ecosystems and hinder plant growth. It is also the reason our cars need paint jobs. Reducing automobile emissions and shutting down power plants that emit sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides can help lower the acidity of our rain.
http://science.howstuffworks.com/acid-rain.htm
http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/effects/materials.html
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