1. a colorless, flammable gas or liquid compound of phosphorus and hydrogen (PH₃), used in organic synthesis and as a fumigant.
Usage: chemistry; technical
2. any of various organic derivatives of phosphine in which hydrogen atoms are replaced by organic groups, used as ligands in catalysis and coordination chemistry.
Usage: chemistry; technical

Examples

• Phosphine gas is highly toxic and must be handled with extreme care in the laboratory.
• The chemist used triphenylphosphine as a ligand in the palladium-catalyzed coupling reaction.
• Phosphine compounds are important in modern organic synthesis and pharmaceutical manufacturing.
• The fumigant properties of phosphine make it useful for grain storage protection.
• Researchers developed new phosphine-based catalysts to improve reaction efficiency.