Phosphine

Phosphine is a phosphorus molecule bonded to three hydrogens.  Each hydrogen shares a single bond with the phosphorus.

Most people can probably agree that water is the most important molecule, but phosphine is seeing an increase to its popularity because it has been detected in the atmosphere of Venus, and currently scientists believe phosphine most likely indicates the presence of anaerobic bacteria– anaerobic bacteria are alive. Scientists leading the discovery caution that we have not ruled out a possible nonliving source of this phosphine, so it is a discussion still on the table.

We can use the phosphene molecule to tell the story of Chemistry while we wait for more news on the Venus-phosphine story.