Linus Pauling(1901 — 1994)
Linus Pauling
États-Unis
8 min read
American chemist (1901–1994), Linus Pauling is one of the founders of modern molecular chemistry. He is one of the very few individuals to have received two Nobel Prizes: Chemistry in 1954 and Peace in 1962.
Frequently asked questions
Famous Quotes
« The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas.»
« I have something that I call my Golden Rule. It goes something like this: 'Do unto others twenty-five percent better than you expect them to do unto you.'»
Key Facts
- 1901: born in Portland, Oregon
- 1939: publication of 'The Nature of the Chemical Bond', a founding work of modern chemistry
- 1954: Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on chemical bonding and the structure of complex molecules
- 1962: Nobel Peace Prize for his campaign against atmospheric nuclear testing
- 1994: died in Big Sur, California
Works & Achievements
A founding work of modern structural chemistry, translated into several languages and republished three times. It synthesizes Pauling's theory of covalent bonds, resonance, and electronegativity — concepts still taught today in every chemistry curriculum.
Pauling and Robert Corey describe the two fundamental secondary configurations of proteins, paving the way for structural molecular biology. This discovery came two years before the double helix model of DNA.
The first article in history to demonstrate that a hereditary disease has a precise molecular cause. Pauling shows that the hemoglobin of patients with sickle cell anemia has an abnormal structure, establishing the paradigm of molecular medicine.
A popular essay in which Pauling explains the dangers of nuclear radiation and advocates for general disarmament. Translated into several languages, it helped raise worldwide public awareness of the nuclear threat during the Cold War.
A document signed by 11,021 scientists from 49 countries and submitted to the United Nations. Directly linked to the signing of the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in 1963, this petition remains one of the most effective scientific mobilizations in history.
A widely popular science book advocating the use of high doses of vitamin C. Although its conclusions were disputed, the book sparked decades of research into antioxidants and popularized nutritional supplementation.
Anecdotes
In 1952, the U.S. government refused to renew Pauling's passport, preventing him from attending a conference in London on the structure of DNA. This decision, motivated by his pacifist views deemed 'communist,' may have cost him the discovery of the double helix: Watson and Crick would publish their model just a few months later, in 1953.
Pauling is one of the very few people to have received two Nobel Prizes in entirely different fields. In 1954, he received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on chemical bonds. In 1962, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his fight against nuclear testing — a unique combination in the history of science.
In 1949, Pauling published a landmark article demonstrating that sickle cell disease (an inherited blood disorder) is caused by a molecular abnormality in hemoglobin. In doing so, he coined the concept of 'molecular disease,' opening the door to all of modern molecular medicine.
From the 1970s onward, Pauling became the most prominent advocate of high-dose vitamin C, consuming several grams himself every day. Although his theories on preventing cancer and colds through vitamin C were largely debunked, they sparked a worldwide scientific debate and popularized the idea of vitamin supplementation.
In 1958, Pauling presented the United Nations with a petition signed by more than 11,000 scientists from around the world, including 36 Nobel laureates, demanding an end to atmospheric nuclear testing. Written at the height of the Cold War, this document directly contributed to the signing of the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in 1963.
Primary Sources
The properties of a substance depend upon the nature of the forces acting between the atoms. The chemical bond is described as involving the sharing of a pair of electrons between two atoms.
We have examined sickle-cell anemia patients and have found that the hemoglobin of these individuals is different from that of normal adults and from that of the fetus.
We have in common with our fellow men a deep concern for the welfare of all human beings. As scientists we have knowledge of the dangers involved and a special responsibility to make those dangers known.
We must work for peace — not just the absence of war, but the active and positive presence of justice, equality, and human brotherhood and sisterhood.
I believe that there will never again be a great world war — a war in which the terrible weapons involving nuclear fission and nuclear fusion would be used. I believe instead that we are entering a new era of peace and reason.
Key Places
Birthplace of Linus Pauling, born on February 28, 1901. His father, a pharmacist, introduced him to chemistry at an early age by letting him watch the preparation of medicines.
Pauling spent his entire career here, from his doctorate in 1925 through the 1960s. It was in these laboratories that he made nearly all of his landmark discoveries in molecular chemistry.
Pauling's alma mater for his undergraduate studies, and today home to the Linus Pauling Institute and the complete archives of his scientific and activist work.
The city where Pauling received the Nobel Peace Prize on December 10, 1963, at a ceremony marked by the recent signing of the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
Pauling owned a secluded ranch at Deer Flat Ranch, on the cliffs of Big Sur. He would retreat there to write and think, and it was there that he died on August 19, 1994.
