The Phosphine reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

Phosphine

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 odourless, colourless, flammable, and can easily kill in relatively low concentrations.

For farm use, it is often sold in the form of Aluminium phosphate 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.

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