What physical properties do alkali metals share with other metals?

Alkali metals share several fundamental physical properties with other metals, including:

• Conductivity: Like other metals, alkali metals are excellent conductors of both heat and electricity. This is due to their metallic state, where valence electrons become delocalized and mobile, forming a conduction band.12
• Mechanical Properties: They exhibit lustre, ductility, and malleability, which are characteristic traits of the metallic class of substances.23
• Crystalline Structure: Alkali metals are crystalline solids that share the general metallic tendency to form simple, symmetrical crystal arrangements.23

While they share these defining metallic characteristics, alkali metals are distinct in having lower melting points and lower densities than most other metals, a result of their relatively loose crystallographic arrangement and weak interatomic bond energies.2