This organic derivative of arsine has been used as a source of arsenic in microelectronics industry,[1] a building block to other organoarsenic compounds, and serves as a ligand in coordination chemistry.

The As-C distances average 1.519 Å, and the C-As-C angles are 91.83°[2] Trimethylarsine can be prepared by treatment of arsenic oxide with trimethylaluminium:[3] Trimethylarsine is the volatile byproduct of microbial action on inorganic forms of arsenic which are naturally occurring in rocks and soils at the parts-per-million level.

[5][6][7] Trimethylarsine is pyrophoric due to the exothermic nature of the following reaction, which initiates combustion: Poisoning events due to a gas produced by certain microbes was assumed to be associated with the arsenic in paint.

[8] Under wet conditions, the mold Microascus brevicaulis produces significant amounts of methyl arsines via methylation[9] of arsenic-containing inorganic pigments, especially Paris green and Scheele's Green, which were once used in indoor wallpapers.

Newer studies show that trimethylarsine has a low toxicity and could therefore not account for the death and the severe health problems observed in the 19th century.