Linus Carl Pauling Biography

1901-1994

American Chemist

In 1954 Linus Pauling was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his research into the nature of the chemical bond and its application to the elucidation of the structure of complex substances. Pauling's concepts and experiments made it possible for chemists to understand the forces that held proteins together. His classic text The Nature of the Chemical Bond (1939) remains a model of clarity. In 1962 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his campaign against the use, testing, and proliferation of nuclear weapons and the very idea of waging war as a way of solving international conflicts.

Using the prestige inherent in his status as a Nobel laureate, Pauling was able to attract attention to the dangers of the radioactive fallout that was produced by the testing of nuclear weapons. The Peace Prize recognized the role Pauling played in establishing the banning of atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons by the United States and the Soviet Union.

Reflecting on his life and work, Linus Pauling said that he had known many people who might have been smarter than he was, but they had generally gone into theoretical physics. His consolation was that even though such physicists might have been deeper thinkers, he had enjoyed broader interests. Pauling's remarkably varied body of scientific work evolved from his interest in the nature of the chemical bond. His experimental work encompassed diverse aspects of physical chemistry, such as the use of X-ray diffraction to elucidate the structure of crystals, the use of electron diffraction to determine the structure of gas molecules, and studies of the magnetic properties of various substances. Pauling was also an ingenious theoretical chemist, as demonstrated by his attempts to apply quantum mechanics to the structure of molecules and the nature of the chemical bond, the extension of the theory of valence to include metals and intermetallic compounds, and the development of a theory of the structure of atomic nuclei and the nature of the process of nuclear fission. Indeed, as James Watson (1928- ) and Francis Crick (1916- ) struggled to discover the secret of the gene, they deliberately attempted to emulate Pauling's remarkable innovation of building three-dimensional models as a means of determining the structure of a molecule with only a minimum of experimental evidence. Pauling had used this approach when he suggested that the X-ray diffraction pattern of the protein keratin could be attributed to alpha-helices coiled round each other. Unfortunately, Pauling's preliminary speculations about the structure of DNA were based on obsolete and incomplete information. Pauling could not assess the new data assembled by Rosalind Franklin (1920-1958) at King's College because he was unable to travel freely. The State Department had taken away his passport for allegedly subversive activities that primarily involved participation in the Ban the Bomb movement.

Pauling's immense curiosity about the chemical nature of complex biological compounds led to fruitful investigations of the structure of proteins, the molecular basis of general anesthesia, and the nature of serological systems, and the structure of antibodies. Fundamental insights into understanding disease processes at the molecular level grew out of Pauling's studies of the relationship between abnormal hemoglobin molecules and hereditary hemolytic anemias, including sickle-cell anemia. In 1949 Pauling proved that the sickling phenomenon was caused by an alteration in hemoglobin. By analyzing the abnormal hemoglobin produced by patients with sickle cell anemia, Pauling and Vernon M. Ingram established the existence of a specific molecular disease. Pauling also investigated the relationship between abnormal enzymes and mental disease. These studies eventually led to his interest in the relationship between the chemistry of nutrition and medical problems.

Pauling was born in Portland, Oregon. He earned his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Oregon State College, and his Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology. In 1923 Pauling married Ava Helen Miller, who was an important influence on his campaigns against nuclear weapons. Pauling was a member of the faculty of Caltech for 41 years. He held academic appointments and visiting professorships at many other institutions, including Stanford, Cornell, MIT, Harvard, Princeton, Madras, Oxford University, and the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions in Santa Barbara, California. He established the Linus Pauling Institute of Science and Medicine, where he served as Research Professor. At the Institute, Pauling served as an advocate of "orthomolecular medicine" and megadose vitamin C to prevent and treat colds, schizophrenia, and cancer.

Ranked along with Isaac Newton (1642-1727) and Albert Einstein (1879-1955) as one of the twenty most important scientists of all time, Pauling's willingness to tackle a wide array of scientific, social, political, and medical questions has also earned him a reputation as one of the twentieth-century's most controversial scientists.

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