Henri Le Châtelier (1850-1936), a French chemist, first stated the rule known as Le Châtelier's Principle in 1884. The principle states that if an external change is imposed on a system in reactive equilibrium, the system will establish a new equilibrium, which counteracts the external change. Le Châtelier's principle was fully explained in an 1888 paper. This fundamental contribution to chemical thermodynamics had been anticipated in part by J. W. Gibbs, whose work Le Châtelier translated into French, helping Gibbs' ideas reach a broader audience. Le Châtelier also suggested the use of a thermocouple to measure high temperatures, and invented the optical pyrometer, a thermometer that uses infrared radiation to determine an object’s temperature by measuring the wavelength of the radiation emitted.
Cutler Cleveland (Lead Author);Peter Saundry (Topic Editor) "Le Châtelier, Henri". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth August 21, 2008; Last revised Date August 21, 2008; Retrieved May 24, 2012 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Le_Ch%C3%A2telier,_Henri>
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The Encyclopedia of Earth Cutler J. Cleveland is the founding Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Earth. Dr. Cleveland is currently a Professor in the Department of Geography and Environment at Boston University, with joint appointments in the Center for Energy and Environmental Studies and the Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer Range Future. He also is a Senior Fellow at the National Council for Science and the Environment in Washington D.C. Dr. Cleveland is als ... (Full Bio)
Henri Le Châtelier (1850-1936), a French chemist, first stated the rule known as Le Châtelier's Principle in 1884. The principle states that if an external change is imposed on a system in reactive equilibrium, the system will establish a new equilibrium, which counteracts the external change. Le Châtelier's principle was fully explained in an 1888 paper. This fundamental contribution to chemical thermodynamics had been anticipated in part by J. W. Gibbs, whose work Le Châtelier translated into French, helping Gibbs' ideas reach a broader audience. Le Châtelier also suggested the use of a thermocouple to measure high temperatures, and invented the optical pyrometer, a thermometer that uses infrared radiation to determine an object’s temperature by measuring the wavelength of the radiation emitted.
Henri Le Châtelier. (Source: UC Engineering Library)
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