Acid rain over the Great Lakes has a pH of about 4.5. Calculate the [H3O+] concentration of this rain and compare that value to the [H3O+] concentration of rain over the West Coast, which has a pH of 5.4. How many times more concentrated is the acid in the rain over the Great Lakes compared to the rain over the West Coast?

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that pH is a measure of the hydrogen ion concentration, given by the formula \( \text{pH} = -\log[\text{H}_3\text{O}^+] \).
2. To find the \([\text{H}_3\text{O}^+]\) concentration for the Great Lakes rain, use the formula \([\text{H}_3\text{O}^+] = 10^{-\text{pH}}\) with \(\text{pH} = 4.5\).
3. Calculate \([\text{H}_3\text{O}^+]\) for the West Coast rain using the same formula with \(\text{pH} = 5.4\).
4. Compare the two \([\text{H}_3\text{O}^+]\) concentrations by dividing the concentration for the Great Lakes by the concentration for the West Coast.
5. The result of the division will tell you how many times more concentrated the acid is in the Great Lakes rain compared to the West Coast rain.