phosphine

[fos-feen, -fin]

noun

Chemistry.

1. a colorless, poisonous, ill-smelling, flammable gas, PH 3 .

2. any of certain organic derivatives of this compound.

phosphine

/ ˈfɒsfiːn /

noun

1. a colourless flammable gas that is slightly soluble in water and has a strong fishy odour: used as a pesticide. Formula: PH 3

Word History and Origins

Origin of phosphine¹

First recorded in 1870–75; phosph- + -ine ¹

Example Sentences

On Earth, phosphine arises naturally from decaying organic material in swamps, but on other planets, it is rare and intriguing.

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In 2020, the astronomy world was roused at the prospect of phosphine, a gas associated with anaerobic bacteria, after it was seemingly detected in the Venusian atmosphere.

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In 2020 researchers publishing in the journal Nature Astronomy revealed that the atmosphere of Venus appeared to contain trace amounts of phosphine, a gas associated with anaerobic bacteria on Earth.

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The substance reacted with moisture, creating the poisonous gas phosphine, which has been likened to a chemical warfare agent.

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The most plausible is phosphine gas, created from the fermentation of plant matter inside the soil’s low-oxygen environment.

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