Acid neutralized alkalies, and vice versa. Baking soda is alkaline and neutralizes battery acid. Alkaline batteries do NOT have acid in them, they have an alkaline electrolyte, which is neutralized by an acid - in this case white vinegar being a good choice.
Rinse well when finished.
Baking soda is properly called a "buffer". It will tend to maintain pH, slightly alkaline.
well ,they're *alkaline* batteries, which vinegar will neutralize!
OP is guilty of gross misunderstanding and/or misspeaking, but other than that...
nate
When I hear alkaline, I think caustic. Used to wash my hands with alkaline soap powder in the Navy. Stings any nick as good as acid I suppose. Never tried acid. Still took me a minute to catch on here, because I always think acid with batteries. Never messed with flashlight corrosion. Just threw it away.
--Vic
You're simply demonstrating your illiteracy.
You're guilt of illiteracy, but that's nothing new.
It is only a matter of degree. Anything has a pH. Higher than neutral pH is Alkaline (or basic), anything with lower than neutral pH is Acidic. Alkalies buffer acids, and acids buffer alkalies. Neutral pH is 7.0.
Baking soda is pH 8.2 (+1.2) Normal white vinegar is 5-10% Acetic Acid with a pH ranging from 2.4 to 3.4 (-4.6 to-3.6)
In the case of neutralizing battery leakage in a flashlight you do not want something very agressively acidic - you want to gently neutralize the chemical without attacking the metal of the flashlight - just like when neutralizing battery acid you do not want to use a strong alkali that could attack anything - but more importantly you do NOT want a violent chemical reaction and it's associated heat.
=3D=3D Formic acid would be faster than vinegar as well but is more toxic but not as dangerous as the really strong acids. They used to sell a formic acid solution for cleaning evaporator plates and equipment. It did a good job too. then the idiots changed the formula to an acetic acid one and it wasn't worth buying. I guess the good one was too hazardous for some people and especially around where children could access it.
I remember the old batteries back in the forties...always leaking and screwing up flashlights. Technology has come a long way and one rarely has a problem with leakage anymore. =3D=3D
=3D=3D
Yes, I made a mistake in saying vinegar neutralized the acid. I meant the other way around.
willshak wrote in news:Lb6dnVCYEL__O8XQnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@supernews.com:
how can one acid -neutralize- another ACID? It can't.
Alkaline cells don't use ACID,they use an -alkaline- electrolyte.(a BASE) that is why acids like vinegar neutralize the electrolyte.
Many battery companies guarantee their batteries won't leak and will pay to replace a flashlight. At least I think they still do that.
With alkaline batteries they will pay even more to replace some fancier things. Like maybe maglites.
I rarely see an alkaline battery leak, but I'm sure they do. Carbon-zinc (flashlight) batteries leak often, and the cheapest ones more often. They were selling 30 AA flashlight batteries for a very low price at a hamfest, but they only lasted a couple weeks and then they leaked! I got them out before htey damaged anything.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.