Magnesium oxide, more commonly called magnesia, is a versatile mineral that when used as part of a cement mixture and cast into thin cement panels under proper curing procedures and practices can be used in residential and commercial building construction. Some versions are suitable for a wide range of general building uses and for applications that require fire resistance, mold and mildew control, as well as sound control applications and many other benefits. As an environmentally friendly building material, magnesia board has strength and resistance due to very strong bonds between magnesium and oxygen atoms that form magnesium oxide crystals (with the chemical formula MgO).