Effects of acid rain on plagioclases

Abstract

In order to predict the effect of acid precipitation on building stone, artificial chemical weathering of plagioclase minerals composed in building stones have been simulated chemically and mineralogically. Oligoclase and bytownite have been exposed to HNO₃, H₂SO₄ and HCl solutions at pH 4, and distilled water at about 50 degree for different periods of time up to 580 days in an open system using an improved Soxhlet extraction apparatus.