Le Chatelier's principle
Principio de Le Chatelier
- Date
- 1884 · confidence high
- Place
- École des Mines, Paris
- Credited to
- Henry Louis Le Chatelier (van 't Hoff for the temperature effect)
- People
- 👤 Henry Le Châtelier1850–1936
- Field
- Matter & energy
What was discovered
When a system at equilibrium is subjected to a change in concentration, pressure or temperature, it shifts in the direction that counteracts the disturbance. A practical rule for maximising industrial yields.
Van 't Hoff had stated the relationship between temperature and equilibrium in 1884 (the van 't Hoff equation).
What it led to
- High-pressure ammonia synthesis (Haber-Bosch)
- Design of chemical processes
- Equilibrium chemistry
Built on
- Law of mass action1864
- Gibbs's and Van't Hoff's thermodynamics
Made possible
- Catalytic ammonia synthesis (Haber)1909
- Haber-Bosch process1909–1913
- optimised contact process