[6][7] The oldest of 3 children, his middle brother, Michel, died in infancy, but he remained close with his younger sister Monique his whole life.
Characterizing himself during those years as "not terribly self-confident," and uncertain whether he could find employment in a profession he enjoyed, Gilbert considered applying for a colonial civil service job in French Indochina.
[5] However, the outbreak of World War II that year led the family to flee to New York, where his father's older brother, Sylvain, had already emigrated.
However, due to the high temperature of the bath, the oxidation of glycerol was much faster than the nitration of glycerin thus preventing the formation of explosives.
[18] He was fêted for his sense of humor and colorful personality by historian of chemistry Jeffrey I. Seeman who published a collection of "Storkisms".