• @adj16
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    28 months ago

    Wait, I thought that when water evaporated, it became completely pure water vapor. Isn’t that why we get salt crystals and the like?

    • @AFaithfulNihilist
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      78 months ago

      Pure water picks up all manner of chemicals from the air it falls through. If there is an excess of carbon, sulfur, or toxic chemicals, they can get dissolved or carried by the water to the ground.

      That’s where acid rain came from.

      • @adj16
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        58 months ago

        Whoa, that makes sense but is still wild. Thank you!

        • @[email protected]
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          28 months ago

          Coincidentally, that process is how industrial gas scrubbers work. Imagine a showerhead inside a tank with a ton of macaroni pieces. The dirty air comes from the lower side and and a solvent (water works in many cases) pours through the shower. The contaminants dissolve in the water and air is purified (to an extent). That high surface area works wonders to exchange molecules.

    • @Ptsf
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      28 months ago

      Not all elements evaporate, but many do. Atoms/chrmicals/elements/etc are far more complex than the average education would lead one to believe. Water for example isn’t even always H2O, there is H3O water. There’s also radioactive water that is physically indistinguishable from water, but you know, radioactive.

      • @adj16
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        18 months ago

        Interesting, thank you!