A series of unfortunate events led me to accidently drop a fresh, unused AA battery into my freshly poured glass of iced tea. 2 questions arise:
Would the tea be safe to drink after removal of the battery? (Note that I’ve already replaced it, since I didn’t feel like waiting for answer, but for future reference… 
Is the battery still usable?
Generally, yes to both. Batteries are normally pretty well sealed. Rechargeable types usually have a tiny vent hole to allow gasses generated by overcharging to escape, but this is too small to allow much exhange of fluids. Unless the batteries are leaking there’s not much to be concerned about.
Rats! Wasted 8oz. of delicious beverage. But at least I kept the battery in case it can be reused!
Thanks 
I would wipe it off before you reuse it, in case you didn’t figure that out. 
Some materials, particularly those which are acidic, can lead to corrosion of the battery terminals of whatever you’re using the batteries in, so you want to try to keep those clean.
So my friend and I are at a high-school science fair. The object of one task - design a decent experiment that tests whether steel wool rusts faster in water, tea, or water when it’s electrified by a AA battery. (Materials - a AA battery, and 3 film cannisters of the above liquids).
Now, yeah it was all about procedure. But useless precautions still cause us to recall why we failed miserably at that part of the fair - despite both of us wearing prescription eyewear, we failed to use the provided protective plastic glasses.
So yeah, the battery will be fine, as will the tea. Just don’t get any in your eye. :smack: