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Letter from Linus Pauling to S. J. Singer. June 30, 1948.
Pauling writes to discuss the status of Singer's manuscript and to learn more about progress that Singer has made on his research. Pauling inquires specifically about Singer's work on "the Rothen problem," and suggests that Singer might be able to create a protein stick by using sheets of mica treated with a uranium salt. Pauling also recommends a method of coating one side of a protein with metal with the intent of adsorbing half of an antibody.

Transcript

NAVY AIR MAIL

Balliol College

Oxford, England

June 30, 1948

Dr. S. J. Singer

Crellin Laboratory

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena 4, California

Dear Dr. Singer:

I have just got worried about your manuscript. I haven't written to you because I have nothing much to say about the manuscript, but it occurred to me that you might want the drawings back, and so I am returning them with the manuscript herewith.

I hope I haven't held the paper up.

I shall look forward to learning about the progress that you have made on the Rothen problem when I get back home, September 19. One idea that has occurred to me is that instead of using metal slides it might be possible to use thin sheets of mica, perhaps treated with a uranium salt in order to make the protein stick. There is a paper by Polansky in a recent Nature, in which it is shown that layers of mica uniform to one half unit (10 Ǻ. Thickness) can be obtained by cleavage.

Also, I thought that perhaps some results could be got by coating the positive layer of protein with metal at a small angle of inclination from one side. This ought to cover the one side of protein molecules, leaving the other side bare, and so perhaps the slides treated in this way would still absorb nearly half of the antibody.

It will be a pleasure to talk with you about this work and other work that you might be interested to carry on.

Sincerely yours,

Linus Pauling:par

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