Plaster of Paris is a salt made from calcium metal and calcium sulfate hemihydrate.
The chemical formula for Plaster of Paris is C6H4O6. Calcium sulfate is created when gypsum is heated to a high temperature.
Adding water to Plaster of Paris makes it soft and ready to be used as a paste.
This paste will harden over time as strong hydrogen bonding between the molecules of Plaster of Paris and water forms. Setting plaster of Paris requires hydration in order to form another hydrate.
Setting results in an energy release. The hydration of plaster of Paris turns it into gypsum.
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