Phosphine is the common name given to Hydrogen Phosphide (PH₃), a compound of Phosphorus, a highly toxic gas often used for pest control by fumigation. The gas itself is colorless, flammable, and is odorless when very pure but has a highly unplesant odor described as garlic-like or like rotting fish when supplied as a "technical grade" gas due to the presence of substituted phosphine and diphosphine (P₂H₄); it can easily kill in relatively low concentrations.

For farm use, it is often sold in the form of Aluminium phosphide pellets, which yield phosphine on contact with atmospheric water. These pellets also contain other chemicals which evolve ammonia which helps to reduce the potential for spontaneous ignition or explosion of the phosphine gas. They also contain other agents (e.g. methyl mercaptan) to give the gas a detectable "garlic" smell to help warn against its presence in the atmosphere.

Phosphine is also used as a dopant in the semiconductor industry.

Phosphine belongs to the group of chemical called "hydrides". Synonyms for phosphine are "phosphane" (Which is the IUPAC-approved name, but is little-used) and "Hydrogen phosphide". "Phosphoretted hydrogen" is an archaic synonym.

Related to PH₃ is the class of compounds commonly called phosphines. These are alkyl or aryl derivatives of phosphine, just as amines can be regarded as derivatives of ammonia. Common examples include triphenylphosphine ((C₆H₅)₃P) and BINAP, both used as phosphine ligands in metal complexes such as Wilkinson's catalyst. Such phosphines are often present as co-catalysts in reactions such as the Sonogashira coupling.

Phosphine is often confused with phosgene, which has a similar-sounding name.

External links

• http://phosphine.com

de:Monophosphan nl:Fosfine ja:リン化水素