This booklet contains three separate papers suitable for use in an advanced high school or college chemistry course. The first paper provides background information on acids and bases. The second paper provides additional background information, focusing on certain aspects of atmospheric chemistry as it relates to the acid rain problem. An attempt was made to keep the material as simple as possible and to provide enough vocabulary to understand the arguments of the experts but not to overwhelm the student with the chemical details of the process. The third paper, which focuses on the acid rain controversy, consists of a number of exercises in a self-instructional format. The paper can be used either as a classroom activity in which students respond to the questions or as a model from which teachers can develop their own material either on acid rain or some other topic of interest. Several suggestions are offered if teachers decide to use the exercises in a classroom setting. In addition, a list of discussion questions to extend various exercises and questions posed in the textual material are included. (JN)