Letter from Linus Pauling to W.H. Taylor. March 30, 1953. Page 1  Larger Images / More Information. 2 pp.  View Transcript

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Activity Listings

• AHP writes cheque to: Phelps-Terkel amount: $9.26 [Filed under LP Biographical: Box #4.022, Folder #1]
• Airline ticket [issued]: British Overseas Airways Corporation: Los Angeles, New York, London, Brussels, and return [Filed under LP Travel: Box #1.001, Folder 1.11]
• LP writes cheque to: American Association of Scientific Workers amount: $2.50 [Filed under LP Biographical: Box #4.022, Folder #1]
• LP writes cheque to: Dr. Claude Block amount: $24.00 [Filed under LP Biographical: Box #4.022, Folder #1]
• LP writes cheque to: Franchise Tax Board amount: $282.40 [Filed under LP Biographical: Box #4.022, Folder #1]
• LP writes cheque to: Peter J. Pauling amount: $125.00 [Filed under LP Biographical: Box #4.022, Folder #1]
• LP writes cheque to: Southern Commercial and Savings Bank amount: $201.50 [Filed under LP Biographical: Box #4.022, Folder #1]
• LP writes cheque to: Town Hall amount: $28.00 [Filed under LP Biographical: Box #4.022, Folder #1]
• Letter from E. S. Proskauer of Interscience Publishers, inc., to LP RE: thanks LP for his helpful review of Rutger's book. Asks whether they are permitted to quote LP's remarks on the quality of the text. Sends LP $50.00 for his assistance. [Letter from LP to Mr. Proskauer March 12, 1953, letter of response from LP to Mr. Proskauer April 2, 1953] [Filed under LP Correspondence: Box #313, Folder #1].
• Letter from G. N. Tyson, Jr. to LP RE: says that the "writer" thanks LP for his time and comments. Will meet again to explore their work on structural problems of mutual interest. [Filed under LP Correspondence: Box #410, Folder #18]
• Letter from LP to Dr. L.P. Eisenhart, American Philosophical Society RE: discusses his recent trips to both UCLA and UC Berkeley for their inauguration ceremonies. [Filed under LP Science: 14.011, Folder 11.2].
• Letter from LP to Dr. M. L. Anson RE: Indicates that he will participate in the "discussion of denaturation." However, indicates that he cannot accept Dr. Anson's invitation to write up his material for Dr. Anson's advances. [Letter to LP March 23, 1953] [Filed under A: Correspondence 1953, Box #12.19]
• Letter from LP to Dr. Percy L. Julian RE: Is pleased to learn of the planned attendance of Dr. Circle to the protein conference and the possible attendance of Julian. Replies to question about industrial associates stating that it's against Caltech policy to help work out specific problems for private firms and the Caltech research is fundamental rather than practical. [Letter from LP to Dr. Julian February 6, 1953, Letter from Dr. Julian to LP March 20, 1953]. [Filed under: LP Biographical, Box 1.028, Folder 28.3]
• Letter from LP to Dr. Robert Gordon Sproul, President, The University of California, RE: relays that he enjoyed the inauguration ceremonies very much, but would like to make a correction involving the date of the founding of the American Philosophical Society. [Filed under LP Science: 14.011, Folder 11.2].
• Letter from LP to Dr. W.H. Taylor of Cavendish Laboratory. [Letter from Dr. W. H. Taylor to LP March 19, 1953, letter from Mrs. M. A. Kellar, Secretary to Dr. W. H. Taylor April 14, 1953] [Filed under LP Correspondence: Box #405, Folder #8 file: (Taylor, W. H.)].

  30 March 1953

  Dr. W. H. Taylor

  Dear Taylor:

  I am glad to tell you the present state of our program on the structure of complex alloy phages, particularly those involving transition metals.

  I have been interested in the structures of intermetallic compounds ever since 1922, when I determined the structure of Mg₂Sn and attempted to determine the structure of NaCd₂. I have been working away at NaCd₂ ever since, and I suppose that our program might come to an end when this structure is determined - it involves about 1200 atoms in the unit cube. We were successful in finding the structure of Na₂Cd₁₁ - it turned out to have been discovered independently by Samson for Mg₂Zn₁₁. Samson, by the way, will spend the coming year in our laboratory.

  We began moderately intensive work on the structure of complex intermetallic phases six years ago, with the aid of a grant from the Carbide and Carbon Chemicals Corp., which has now expired. At the present time we are working under a grant from the Navy. The work on metals is being carried out largely by Dr. Gunnar Bergman, who has been appointed assistant professor here. He has three graduate students working with him, and one post-doctorate man. I am not doing anything about metals at the moment, except that I have been working on the theory of ferromagnetism, and have just prepared for publication a paper on this subject - it will be in the May issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

  I am hoping that our program of work on intermetallic compounds will continue for some years in the future. We are interested especially in the problem of the nature of the bonds between metal atoms - in particular, in the significance of the metallic valences that I proposed fifteen years ago, and of the relationship between bond number and interatomic distance, the various factors that affect stability of metallic systems, and so on. Our policy has been to investigate these intermetallic compounds that seem to us to promise to provide some information about this general problem. We are interested in alloys of sodium and cadmium, because of my desire to understand the compound NaCd₂, and also in alloys of magnesium and zinc, because of their similarity to the alloys of sodium and cadmium.

  I have asked Professor Bergman to write to you, telling you just what phases are under investigation here at the present time.

  You ask if our work is likely to bring us into the field in a big way in the near future. In answer, I would say that we plan to

  Dr. Taylor 30/3/53

  continue on the same scale as during the past six years. During this period I have devoted a part of my time to considerations of the nature of metals and alloys, and have had, as collaborators, usually two post-doctoral men (at present Professor Bergman and one other man), and one to three graduate students, working toward the doctorate.

  I hope that this answers your question. Please let me know if there is anything else that I can say.

  Let me mention again the matter of the sigma phase. When the grant of $75,000 ($15,000 a year for five years) was originally made to us by Carbide and Carbon Chemicals Corporation - they had asked me if there was any field in which I was especially interested, and I answered that I continued to be interested in the problem of the structure of metals - I asked the members of this company if there were some problems in the field of metals and alloys that they were especially interested in. Their answer was that they were interested in the alloys of iron and chromium, silicon, manganese, nickel, vanadium, and in a few other binary systems, and that they had a special interest in the sigma phase. I did not agree to make a special effort to attack the problem of the sigma phase, but in fact we kept it in mind, and began working on this problem rather slowly. Ultimately, of course, investigation of the sigma phase led to the determination of the structure.

  Sincerely yours,

  Linus Pauling:W

• Letter from LP to Mr. Dewey B. Larson RE: writes in response to Mr. Larson's letter of March 23, 1953. Writes that he believes that Mr. Larson's arguments are reasonable and that it is worthwhile for him to prepare his work for publication. Brings up a specific statement from Mr. Larson's letter (claiming that his theoretical discussion represents a deviation from currently expected theory) that he questions. Mentions that he is attending the Solvay Congress in Brussels in April. [Letter from Mr. Larson to LP March 23, 1953, letter from Mr. Larson to LP May 16, 1953] [Filed under LP Correspondence: Box #212, Folder #12 (Larson, Dewey)].
• Letter from LP to Prof. H. D. Springall RE: gives Prof. H. D. Springall permission to reproduce his drawings for a book on proteins. Hopes to meet up with Prof. Springall when he takes a trip to England. [Letter from Prof. Springall to LP March 24, 1953, letter from Prof. Springall to LP June 11, 1953] [Filed under LP Correspondence: Box #367, Folder #6: File (Springall, H. D.)].
• Letter from LP to Prof. W. Conway Pierce RE: writes again in connection with Dr. John Michael O'Gorman. Corrects some misinformation about what position Dr. O'Gorman held at UCSB. Still recommends him for the position. [previous letter from LP to Prof. Pierce March 23, 1953, letter of response from Prof. Pierce tp LP March 31, 1953] [Filed under O: Correspondence 1953, Box #300, Folder #15]
• Letter from LP to Prof. Wendell M. Stanley of UC Berkeley RE: writes in regard to Dr. John Michael O'Gorman. Corrects some misinformation regarding O'Gorman that he wrote in a previous letter. [related letter from LP to Prof. Conway Pierce March 23, 1953, related letter from LP to Dr. Robert Gordon Sproul, Pres of UC Berkeley March 31, 1953, letter of response from W. M. Stanley to LP April 3, 1953] [Filed under O: Correspondence 1953, Box #300, Folder #15]
• Letter from LP to R.V. Bartz RE: Requests that Bartz send information regarding the industrial associates program to Dr. Julian. [Letter from LP to Dr. Julian March 30, 1953]. [Filed under: LP Biographical, Box 1.028, Folder 28.3]
• Letter from LP to Theodore McClintock, W.H. Freeman and Company, RE: Agrees with McClintock's solution to some repetitive portions of his revised manuscript for General Chemistry. [In reply to letter from McClintock to LP March 25, 1953]. [Filed under LP Books: Box 1953b, Folder 1953b.1].
• Note from Barbara W. Low of University Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, Harvard to LP RE: Sends a cartoon to LP that she thinks is outstanding in relation to the Harvard Alumni Bulletin and "Lil Abner." [Letter from LP to Dr. Barbara W. Low May 13, 1953] [Filed under LP Correspondence: Box #218, Folder #3 (Low, Barbara)].
• Pauling Scrapbook: Chemical and Engineering News article entitled "'Hold' and 'Fit' Theories Hold for DDT Structure-Activity" RE: reports the developments in studies of the topography theory of the mechanism of DDT action based on interpretation by LP of modes of enzymatic action. [Filed under: LP Biographical, Box 6.006, Folder 6.31]