Alkali Metal

A metal in the first column of the periodic table (i.e., lithium , sodium , potassium , rubidium , cesium and francium ). With the exception of francium , these metals are all soft and silvery.

They may be readily fused and volatilized with their melting and boiling points becoming lower with increasing atomic mass . They are the strongest electropositive metals. These elements react vigorously, even violently with water.