Gypsum has been widely used since prehistoric times. The name comes from the Greek word ‘Gupsos’, which means ‘to cook’ or ‘burned’, a reference to how gypsum is commonly prepared for use as plaster. For centuries, gypsum has been used for plaster and pigments in both constructing and decorating buildings. Although plaster may have been its most important use, Assyrians also sculpted the alabaster variety of massive gypsum into ornaments and figurines, while Greeks used transparent selenite gypsum crystals for their temple windows, long before glass was invented.
When gypsum is heated, water is driven from its crystal structure to produce anhydrite. Anhydrite is commonly known as Plaster of Paris, because thick deposits of gypsum occur in the Paris Basin. When Plaster of Paris is mixed with water, it forms a paste that can be easily shaped and that hardens into solid gypsum. This is the source of our plaster walls and many cast objects. Gypsum has a very low thermal conductivity, so it is an excellent, low cost, insulating material for buildings. The water within gypsum’s crystalline structure also actually helps to minimize fire damage. If a fire breaks out, heat drives the water out of the gypsum walls to cool and protect the wood or steel supporting the walls. Consequently, one of the main modern uses of gypsum is the manufacture of plasterboard (also called drywall or sheetrock) commonly used in construction. The average American home may contain as much as seven tons of gypsum, this mass of plaster translates into one and a half tons, or roughly 350 gallons, of water built into your home’s structure. While this is not enough to quench a major fire, it is enough to reduce the damage of a small blaze.
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The ease with which gypsum loses and regains its water of crystallization also makes it ideally suited for sculpture and casts. Gypsum has many applications in art and pottery, but is also used in medicine as casts for broken bones or as dental molds for making artificial teeth. Its many other uses include having once been the ‘paste’ component of toothpaste, the modern chalk used in classrooms, and a filler for paper and paints. It is also an important component added to cement, to slow the rate at which concrete settles or hardens. Large amounts of gypsum are used as fertilizer or as a conditioner for soil, displacing sodium in the soil and allowing the soil to hold more moisture.
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