A colourless highly toxic gas, PH3; m.p. −133°C; b.p. −87.7°C; slightly soluble in water. Phosphine may be prepared by reacting water or dilute acids with calcium phosphide or by reaction between yellow phosphorus and concentrated alkali. Solutions of phosphine are neutral but phosphine does react with some acids to give phosphonium salts containing PH4+ ions, analogous to the ammonium ions. Phosphine prepared in the laboratory is usually contaminated with diphosphine and is spontaneously flammable but the pure compound is not so. Phosphine can function as a ligand in binding to transition-metal ions. Dilute gas mixtures of very pure phosphine and the rare gases are used for doping semiconductors.