The present woik deals with the spectroscopic investigation of Penning ionization and nonresonant charge exchange due to thermal-energy collisions of metastable atoms or ions of the inert gases He, Ne with atoms of alkali metals K, Rb, Cs in a low temperature plasma of the corresponding binary mixtures. The rate constants of these reactions and partial rate constants of exciting several alkali metal ion levels were determined by the kinetics of the decay of ionized and excited particles in the afterglow of a pulsed discharge. Measured Penning and chnige exchange constants are in order of cm3 sec-'. Partial Penning constants in the He-Cs system exhibit a small dependence of the energy defect of reaction, whereby an important part of collisions results in excited Cs+-states. On the contrary, energy transfer by charge exchange in He-Rb, Cs systems distinguishes by a significant energy defect dependence. Charge exchange from He+ to Rb, leads above all to He(233S,)-;rtoms and normal Rbf-ions. It follows from the metal ion spectrums, that Penning iqnization and charge exchange of the investigated systenis under utilized conditions represent as processes of selective excitation of alkali metal ions in afterglow and stationtlry discharge.