Transport, specific heat, and magnetic measurements have been performed on three alkali hollandites: KRu4O8, RbRu4O8, and a newly synthesized Cs analog, Cs0.8Li0.2Ru4O8, which was determined to have space group I4/m (#87) and lattice parameters, a = 10.0850(4) and c = 3.12180(20). In contrast to the ruthenium perovskites, which display a wide range of electrical and magnetic behavior, the alkali hollandites are simple paramagnetic metals. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.