General Characteristics of Alkali Metals

•  Alkali metals are shiny, silver colored metals.
• Alkali metals are very soft. Example; Lithium can be cut with a knife. Potassium can be squashed like soft butter. 
• They tend to donate their electrons in reactions and often have an oxidation state of +1.
• Alkali metals have low melting point and boiling point. Example : cesium melting just above the room temperature.
• The last metal of this group francium is radioactive.
• Alkali metals are found in nature, but not in their pure form.
• The softness and low melting points of the alkali metals can be attributed to very weak metallic bonding in these elements.