Gypsum

Gypsum crystals are found to contain anion water and hydrogen bonding.^[7]

Crystal varieties

Gypsum occurs in nature as flattened and often twinned crystals, and transparent, cleavable masses called selenite. Selenite contains no significant selenium; rather, both substances were named for the ancient Greek word for the Moon.

Selenite may also occur in a silky, fibrous form, in which case it is commonly called "satin spar". Finally, it may also be granular or quite compact. In hand-sized samples, it can be anywhere from transparent to opaque. A very fine-grained white or lightly tinted variety of gypsum, called alabaster, is prized for ornamental work of various sorts. In arid areas, gypsum can occur in a flower-like form, typically opaque, with embedded sand grains called desert rose. It also forms some of the largest crystals found in nature, up to 12 metres (39 ft) long, in the form of selenite.^[8]

Occurrence

Veins of gypsum in Caprock Canyons State Park, Texas

Gypsum is a common mineral, with thick and extensive evaporite beds in association with sedimentary rocks. Deposits are known to occur in strata from as far back as the Archaean eon.^[9] Gypsum is deposited from lake and sea water, as well as in hot springs, from volcanic vapors, and sulfate solutions in veins. Hydrothermal anhydrite in veins is commonly hydrated to gypsum by groundwater in near-surface exposures. It is often associated with the minerals halite and sulfur. Pure gypsum is white, but other substances found as impurities may give a wide range of colors to local deposits.

Because gypsum dissolves over time in water, gypsum is rarely found in the form of sand. However, the unique conditions of the White Sands National Monument in the US state of New Mexico have created a 710 km² (270 sq mi) expanse of white gypsum sand, enough to supply the construction industry with drywall for 1,000 years.^[10] Commercial exploitation of the area, strongly opposed by area residents, was permanently prevented in 1933 when president Herbert Hoover declared the gypsum dunes a protected national monument.

Gypsum is also formed as a by-product of sulfide oxidation, amongst others by pyrite oxidation, when the sulfuric acid generated reacts with calcium carbonate. Its presence indicates oxidizing conditions. Under reducing conditions, the sulfates it contains can be reduced back to sulfide by sulfate reducing bacteria. Electric power stations burning coal with flue gas desulfurization produce large quantities of gypsum as a byproduct from the scrubbers.

Orbital pictures from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) have indicated the existence of gypsum dunes in the northern polar region of Mars,^[11] which were later confirmed at ground level by the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Opportunity.^[12]

Mining

Golden gypsum crystals from Winnipeg

Gypsum sand from White Sands National Monument, New Mexico

Commercial quantities of gypsum are found in the cities of Araripina and Grajaú; in Brazil, Pakistan, Jamaica, Iran (world's second largest producer), Thailand, Spain (the main producer in Europe), Germany, Italy, England, Ireland, Canada^[13] and the United States. There is also a large open pit quarry located at Plaster City, California, in Imperial County, and in East Kutai, Kalimantan. Several small mines also exist in places such as Kalannie in Western Australia, where gypsum is sold to private buyers for changing the pH levels of soil for agricultural purposes.

Crystals of gypsum up to 11 meters (36 ft) long have been found in the caves of the Naica Mine of Chihuahua, Mexico. The crystals thrived in the cave's extremely rare and stable natural environment. Temperatures stayed at 58 °C (136 °F), and the cave was filled with mineral-rich water that drove the crystals' growth. The largest of those crystals weighs 55 tons and is around 500,000 years old.^[14]

Synthesis

Synthetic gypsum is recovered via flue-gas desulfurization at some coal-fired power plants. It can be used interchangeably with natural gypsum in some applications.

Gypsum also precipitates onto brackish water membranes, a phenomenon known as mineral salt scaling, such as during brackish water desalination of water with high concentrations of calcium and sulfate. Scaling decreases membrane life and productivity. This is one of the main obstacles in brackish water membrane desalination processes, such as reverse osmosis or nanofiltration. Other forms of scaling, such as calcite scaling, depending on the water source, can also be important considerations in distillation, as well as in heat exchangers, where either the salt solubility or concentration can change rapidly.

A new study has suggested that the formation of gypsum starts as tiny crystals of a mineral called bassanite (CaSO₄·0.5H₂O).^[15] This process occurs via a three-stage pathway: (1) homogeneous nucleation of nanocrystalline bassanite; (2) self-assembly of bassanite into aggregates, and (3) transformation of bassanite into gypsum.

Uses of gypsum

Gypsum is used in a wide variety of applications:

• Gypsum board^[16] is primarily used as a finish for walls and ceilings, and is known in construction as drywall, sheetrock or plasterboard.
• Gypsum blocks used like cement blocks in building construction
• Gypsum mortar is an ancient mortar used in building construction
• Plaster ingredient (surgical splints, casting moulds, modeling)
• Fertilizer and soil conditioner: In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Nova Scotia gypsum, often referred to as plaster, was a highly sought fertilizer for wheat fields in the United States. It is also used in ameliorating high sodium soils.^[17]
• A binder in fast-dry tennis court clay
• As alabaster, a material for sculpture, especially in the ancient world before steel was developed, when its relative softness made it much easier to carve.
• A wood substitute in the ancient world: For example, when wood became scarce due to deforestation on Bronze Age Crete, gypsum was employed in building construction at locations where wood was previously used.^[18]
• A tofu (soy bean curd) coagulant, making it ultimately a major source of dietary calcium, especially in Asian cultures which traditionally use few dairy products
• Adding hardness to water used for brewing^[19]
• Used in baking as a dough conditioner, reducing stickiness, and as a baked-goods source of dietary calcium.^[20] The primary component of mineral yeast food.^[21]
• A component of Portland cement used to prevent flash setting of concrete
• Soil/water potential monitoring (soil moisture)
• A common ingredient in making mead
• In the medieval period, scribes and illuminators mixed it with lead carbonate (powdered white lead) to make gesso, which was applied to illuminated letters and gilded with gold in illuminated manuscripts.
• In foot creams, shampoos and many other hair products
• A medicinal agent in traditional Chinese medicine called shi gao
• Impression plasters in dentistry
• Used in mushroom cultivation to stop grains from clumping together

Gallery

• Unusual gypsum specimens from around the world
• Green gypsum crystals from Pernatty Lagoon, Mt Gunson, South Australia - its green color is due to presence of copper ions.

• Desert rose, 47 cm long

• Classic "ram's horn" gypsum from Santa Eulalia, Chihuahua, Mexico, 7.5×4.3×3.8 cm

• Selenite from the Houston Museum of Natural Science

• Gypsum with inclusions of green atacamite from Peru

• Gypsum with crystalline native copper inside

• Bright, cherry-red gypsum crystals 2.5 cm in height colored by rich inclusions of the rare mineral botryogen

• Fiery-orange gypsum crystals

• Unusual selenite gypsum from the Red River, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

See also

• Gypcrust
• Phosphogypsum

External links

• WebMineral data
• Mineral galleries – gypsum
• CDC – NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards

References