In the formation of acid rain, sulfur dioxide reacts with oxygen and water in the air to form sulfuric acid. Write the balanced chemical equation for the reaction. (Type your answer using the format CH4 for CH4.)

To write the balanced chemical equation for the formation of acid rain from sulfur dioxide reacting with oxygen and water, we need to consider the elements involved and make sure that the number of atoms is equal on both sides of the equation.

The reactants are sulfur dioxide (SO2), oxygen (O2), and water (H2O), while the product is sulfuric acid (H2SO4). The reaction can be represented as follows:

SO2 + O2 + H2O → H2SO4

To balance the equation, we need to ensure that the number of atoms on each side is equal. Let's start by balancing the oxygen atoms:

On the left side, we have 2 oxygen atoms from O2 and 1 oxygen atom from H2O, making a total of 3 oxygen atoms.
On the right side, we have 4 oxygen atoms from H2SO4.

To balance the oxygen, we can place a coefficient of "2" in front of the water (H2O) on the left side:

SO2 + O2 + 2H2O → H2SO4

Now let's balance the sulfur atoms:

On the left side, we have 1 sulfur atom from SO2.
On the right side, we have 1 sulfur atom from H2SO4.

Since the sulfur atoms are already balanced, we don't need to make any changes. Therefore, the balanced chemical equation for the reaction is:

2SO2 + O2 + 2H2O → 2H2SO4