Linus Pauling
Linus Pauling was an American chemist, biochemist, and peace activist who is one of the few people to win two Nobel Prizes. He won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry and the Nobel Peace Prize.
Early Life and Education
Pauling was born in 1901 in Portland, Oregon. His father was a pharmacist and died when Pauling was young.
He studied chemical engineering at the Oregon Agricultural College. He took his doctorate in chemistry at the California Institute of Technology in 1925.
He studied in Europe with the physicists and the chemists of the period. He returned to Caltech and taught there for more than forty years.
The Chemical Bond
Pauling applied the quantum mechanics to the study of the chemical bond. The book The Nature of the Chemical Bond was published in 1939.
He introduced the concepts of the electronegativity and the hybridisation. The theory explained the structure and the properties of the molecules.
He made important contributions to the study of the crystal structure and the molecular biology. He helped to establish the field of the molecular biology.
He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1954. The award recognised his work on the nature of the chemical bond.
The Peace Activism
Pauling became a leading advocate for the nuclear disarmament. He opposed the development and the testing of the nuclear weapons.
He wrote the appeal to the United Nations that was signed by the thousands of scientists. The petition called for the end of the nuclear testing.
He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1962 for the campaign against the nuclear testing. He was the first person to win two unshared Nobel Prizes.
He was criticised and investigated during the anti-communist campaigns. He defended his right to the political activity.
The Later Years and the Legacy
Pauling promoted the use of the vitamin C for the prevention and the treatment of the disease. The claims were disputed by the medical community.
He founded the Linus Pauling Institute of Science and Medicine. The institute later moved to the Oregon State University.
He died in 1994 in Big Sur, California. He was one of the most influential scientists of the twentieth century.
He is regarded as the founder of the molecular biology and a champion of the peace. The honours and the institutions are named in his memory.
The Chemical Bond
Pauling applied the quantum mechanics to the study of the chemical bond. The book The Nature of the Chemical Bond was published in 1939.
He introduced the concepts of the electronegativity and the hybridisation. The theory explained the structure and the properties of the molecules.
He made important contributions to the crystal structure and the molecular biology. He helped to establish the field of the molecular biology.
The Peace Activism
Pauling became a leading advocate for the nuclear disarmament. He opposed the development and the testing of the nuclear weapons.
He wrote the appeal to the United Nations that was signed by the thousands of scientists. The petition called for the end of the nuclear testing.
He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1962. He was the first person to win two unshared Nobel Prizes.
The Later Career
Pauling promoted the use of the vitamin C for the prevention of the disease. The claims were disputed by the medical community.
He founded the Linus Pauling Institute of Science and Medicine. The institute later moved to the Oregon State University.
He continued to write and to lecture on the science and the peace. He was one of the most influential scientists of the century.
The Legacy and the Memory
Pauling died in 1994 in Big Sur, California. He was the first person to win two unshared Nobel Prizes.
He is regarded as the founder of the molecular biology and a champion of the peace. The honours and the institutions are named in his memory.
His work transformed the study of the chemistry and the biology. He remains an inspiration for the scientists and the activists.
The Early Career
Pauling studied at the Oregon Agricultural College and took his doctorate at Caltech. He studied in Europe with the physicists and the chemists.
He returned to Caltech and taught there for more than forty years. He applied the quantum mechanics to the study of the chemical bond.
He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1954. The award recognised his work on the nature of the chemical bond.
The Personal Life
Pauling married Ava Helen Miller in 1923 and the couple had four children. She was a peace activist and influenced his political views.
He was a champion of the peace and the civil liberties. He was criticised and investigated during the anti-communist campaigns.
He died in 1994 in Big Sur, California. He was one of the most influential scientists of the twentieth century.
See also
- Chemical bond
- Molecular biology
- Nuclear disarmament
- Nobel Prize
References
- ↑ Pauling, Linus. The Nature of the Chemical Bond. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1939.
- ↑ Hager, Thomas. Force of Nature: The Life of Linus Pauling. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1995.
- ↑ Pauling, Linus. No More War!. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1958.
- ↑ Goertzel, Ted and Goertzel, Ben. Linus Pauling: A Life in Science and Politics. New York: Basic Books, 1995.