Le Châtelier, Henry-Louis

Le Châtelier, Henry-Louis

(born Oct. 8, 1850, Paris, France—died Sept. 17, 1936, Miribel-les-Échelles) French chemist. A professor at the Collège de France and the Sorbonne, he is best known for the principle of Le Châtelier, which makes it possible to predict the effect that a change in conditions (temperature, pressure, or concentration of components) will have on a chemical reaction. The principle, invaluable in the chemical industry in developing the most efficient and profitable chemical processes, may be stated thus: A system at equilibrium, when subjected to a perturbation, responds in a way that tends to minimize its effect. Le Châtelier was also an authority on metallurgy, cements, glasses, fuels, explosives, and heat.