Now, metals are shiny, so that makes sense. And these guys, because they're metals, they conduct electricity. In other words, electrons are capable of moving from one point to another in alkali metals very easily. And that means because moving charge creates electricity, these guys create or conduct electricity very well. Now, they also form ions with a positive oxidation state. In other words, they're capable of losing electrons very easily, and therefore, they usually form plus one oxidation states.