Henry Louis Le Châtelier grew up in a family steeped in scientific and technological traditions. Young Henry's relatives and close family friends included engineers and scientists involved in lime and cement production, railway construction, mining, and aluminum and steel manufacturing. France's leading chemists often visited the Le Châtelier home, and all of the Le Châtelier children pursued science-related careers. In later life, Le Châtelier said that his family had strongly influenced his research pursuits.

After interrupting his studies to serve as an army lieutenant in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71, Le Châtelier returned to college at the École Polytechnique and earned a degree in science and engineering in 1875. Two years later, he became a chemistry professor at the École des Mines, where he began research on cements, ceramics, and glass. Some of his experiments with cements...