Alkaline AA cell at 1.65 volts?

[felixc]

Hi,
I saw something strange. A flashlight had a leaking battery, an Eveready AA alkaline. However the flashlight was working properly. Even under load I measured 1.65 volts at its terminals, while the other batteries in the flashlight had 1.5 volts. What's special in the chemistry of an alkaline battery to make this happen?
Felix

 

[jbartos]

Was the leak due to a crack in the battery case or due to chemical corrosion?

 

[felixc]

Sorry I trashed it, as nobody was answering the question. Because of the plastic sleeve it was leaking from the bottom. A transparent liquid was coming out. Once dried it dissolved and cleaned easily with water and regular soap. It did not look corrosive,as the terminals were not oxidized. Thanks for asking.

 

[zeitghost]

Is the electrolyte potassium hydroxide in an alkaline battery?

Not very friendly stuff really.

rgds
Zeit.