Solution:Plaster of Paris (CaSO₄ . 1/2H₂O) - prepared by heating calcium sulfate dihydrate, or gypsum (CaSO₄ .2H₂O) at 393K. It is a white powder, and has a very remarkable property of setting into a hard mass on wetting with water. Uses - Used for setting fractured bones, dentistry, Making toys, decorative materials, cheap ornaments, cosmetics, black-board, chalk, etc as fire-proofing material, sealing air-gaps in apparatus in labs.