“…PCl 3 is commonly used as a primary source of phosphorus in organic and inorganic synthesis, especially for nucleic acids and phosphorus(III) ligands (e.g., fluorous biphase catalysts and pincer ligands), and is generally preferred over highly toxic phosphine gas, PH 3 , in organic reactions . PCl 3 is itself synthesized from elemental phosphorus and chlorine gas, and is consumed on a massive industrial scale for the synthesis of glyphosate, the highest production agricultural chemical worldwide (production since 1974 exceeding 8.6 × 10 9 kg) . Phosphorus(III) can be made to bond with three phenyl groups by the reaction of PCl 3 and chlorobenzene, yielding triphenylphosphine, a common, relatively air-stable organic reagent.…”