Phosphorus trichloride appears as a colorless or slightly yellow fuming liquid with a pungent and irritating odor resembling that of hydrochloric acid. Causes severe burns to skin, eyes and mucous membranes. Very toxic by inhalation, ingestion and skin absorption. Reacts with water to evolve hydrochloric acid, an irritating and corrosive gas apparent as white fumes. Used during electrodeposition of metal on rubber and for making pesticides, surfactants, gasoline additives, plasticizers, dyestuffs, textile finishing agents, germicides, medicinal products, and other chemicals. Phosphorus trichloride is a phosphorus halide with formula Cl3P.

1. Used as a semiconductor dopant and raw material for high-purity phosphorus. During the entire circuit manufacturing process, the quality of phosphorus trichloride plays an important role in controlling contamination and improving the yield of integrated circuits.

2. Mainly used as a raw material for the production of organophosphorus pesticides such as trichlorfon, dichlorvos, methamidophos, acephate, and kitazin. It is also a raw material for the manufacture of thiophosphoryl chloride, phosphorus oxychloride, phosphorous acid, triphenyl phosphate, and tricresyl phosphate.In the pharmaceutical industry, it is used to produce intermediates for drugs such as sulfadiazine and sulfameter.In the dye industry, it acts as a condensing agent for the production of naphthol dyes. It is also used as a chlorinating agent and catalyst in the production of fragrances.

3. Phosphorus trichloride is a chlorinating reagent. It can react violently with oxygen-containing, nitrogen-containing, sulfur-containing heterocyclic compounds, dienes, etc., and can also react with organometallic compounds and metal salts. It serves as a phosphorus source for the synthesis of phosphorus-containing metal ligands.