19th Century Gypsum

Before knowledge of chemical compositions and characteristics of Gypsum it had a practical use. In ancient Egyptian times the Alabaster form of gypsum was used to help build pyramids. Fast forward a few centuries to the 18th century, the chemical properties were defined, by a chemist named Lavoisier. As the world began exploring during the 18th century, large deposits of gypsum were found near Paris, France. The French began to use gypsum as building materials as well as decorative material by dehydrating gypsum. Dehydrating gypsum helped to chemically alter water filled, naturally occurring gypsum. Across the years as gypsum was studied more, and more ways were found in using such a mineral. Gypsum was used as a soil additive to help improve crop yield, when the new world started Benjamin Franklin was noted as the one who brought over such ideas to the Americas where more and more gypsum deposits were found.
Only after the idea was patented as a “Sackett Board”, which was a layer of thin plaster of Paris board (raw gypsum, chemically altered to remove water). By the 20th century gypsum became a huge mineral to create products out of. At times of war gypsum boards became popular, due to its fire- resistant qualities that other plaster boards didn’t have. Today gypsums main uses are still as a fire-resistant gypsum board, however gypsum is used for more than creating a roof over our heads. Gypsum is used as an additive for farmers to improve soils workability and to overcome corrosive effects of alkalinity. Along with farm work gypsum is used to help ponds relax dirt and clay particles without harming any aquatic life, by acting as an additive in turbid waters. Surprisingly gypsum is also used in orthopedic and surgical castings. It is also used as a main ingredient in