What does arsine mean?
Arsine is a colorless, flammable, and extraordinarily poisonous gas with the chemical formula AsH₃, composed of one arsenic atom bonded to three hydrogen atoms. It is classified as an organoarsenic-free hydride — the simplest compound of arsenic and hydrogen — and carries a faint garlic-like odor that is often too subtle to warn of danger. Arsine forms when acids or reducing agents react with arsenic-containing materials, which historically made it a hazard in metallurgy and battery works, sometimes poisoning workers who were unaware of its presence. Today it is deliberately manufactured for use in the semiconductor industry, where tiny quantities serve to dope silicon and other materials, and in various chemical syntheses. Medically, arsine exposure is notorious for causing massive destruction of red blood cells (hemolysis), kidney failure, and death, making it a subject of serious concern in industrial hygiene. The word derives from arsenic via standard chemical nomenclature and appears almost exclusively in technical and scientific writing.
nounA colorless, extremely toxic, flammable gas (AsH₃) with a faint garlic-like odor, formed by the reaction of acids with arsenic compounds and used chiefly in the semiconductor industry and in chemical synthesis.
- The colorless, highly toxic gas AsH₃ (arsenic hydride), used industrially as a dopant in semiconductor manufacture.
"The laboratory was evacuated immediately after a cylinder of arsine was found to be leaking."
"Semiconductor fabs handle arsine only in minute, carefully monitored quantities because of its extreme toxicity."
"Exposure to arsine causes the destruction of red blood cells, leading to severe hemolysis within hours."
Rarely used; 'arsine' is normally an uncountable mass noun. The plural appears chiefly in chemistry when referring to organo-substituted derivatives or multiple samples.
"Several organo-substituted arsines were analyzed in the study."
Arsine is so insidiously dangerous that it once killed workers in factories where no one even knew it was being produced.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of arsine
Arsine takes its name from arsenic, whose own history runs through Greek 'arsenikon' and Persian roots into Latin and Old French before reaching English. The suffix '-ine' follows the established pattern for naming hydrides of elements, parallel to phosphine (from phosphorus) and stibine (from antimony), placing the word's coinage in the nineteenth century as systematic chemical nomenclature developed. Its closest relatives are therefore the other elemental-hydride names and the family of arsenic-derived terms such as arsenate and arsenical.
How arsine is actually used
Arsine is a technical term used almost exclusively in chemistry, industrial safety, medicine, and environmental contexts; it does not occur in everyday speech. Because it is odorless to many people at hazardous concentrations, safety literature emphasizes detection equipment over smell. The word is uncountable when referring to the substance generally, but can take a plural form when referring to specific amounts or cylinders.
Easily confused with arsine
Arsenic is a solid chemical element, while arsine is its gaseous hydride compound (AsH₃).