Letter from Linus Pauling to Walter E. Quigley. April 8, 1954. Page 1  Larger Images / More Information. 1 p.  View Transcript

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Activity Listings

• AHP writes cheque to: Collector of Internal Revenue amount $9.00 [Filed under LP Biographical: Box #4.022, Folder #2]
• AHP writes cheque to: George Miller amount $121.30 [Filed under LP Biographical: Box #4.022, Folder #2]
• Letter from Duncan S. Ballantine to LP RE: Request to nominate a candidate in Chemistry for the Reed College internship program. States the qualifications of the candidate and what their job as an intern would entail. [Letter from Ballantine to LP April 8, 1954, reply from LP to Ballantine April 16, 1954] [Filed B correspondence 1954, Box #37.21].
• Letter from H. Netter to LP RE: Notifying LP gift is on way by ship. Netter would like LP to come to the meeting of the German Physiological-Chemical Society in Kiel. [Filed under N: Correspondence 1954, Box #287.21]
• Letter from LP to Dr. Jerry Donohue, USC RE: Enclosed is copy of letter communicating Donohue's manuscript to the Proceedings; LP made some minor corrections to it. [Filed under D: Individual Correspondence #93]
• Letter from LP to Dr. T. R. Wood, Stine Laboratory, RE: Details his travel schedule. [Letter from Wood to LP April 12, 1954] [Filed under LP Speeches: 1954s.8]
• Letter from LP to Mary D. Alexander, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences RE: LP submits for publication "Radial Distribution Functions of Some Structures of the Polypeptide Chain" by Jerry Donohue [Donohue April 6, 1954; reply April 14, 1954] [Filed under LP Science: (National Academy of Sciences, 1952-1954), Box #14.020, Folder 20.3]
• Letter from LP to Romeo P. Allard, Chairman of the Committee on Awards, American Institute of Chemists RE: Nomination of Fred C. Anson for Student Medal Award of the Western Chapter of The American Institute of Chemists [Filed A: Organizational Correspondence, Box #10.4]
• Letter from LP to W. H. Freeman RE: LP suggests that Freeman consider publishing a book on scientific German written by Alfred Stern of Caltech. [Freeman's reply April 14, 1954] [Filed under Correspondence: W. H. Freeman and Company 1954, Box #439.12]
• Letter from LP to Walter E. Quigley. [Letter from Quigley March 29, 1954] [Filed under Q: Correspondence 1954, Box #324.2]

  8 April 1954

  Mr. Walter E. Quigley

  2317 Humboldt Avenue South

  Minneapolis 5, Minnesota

  Dear Mr. Quigley:

  I am sorry not to have much to give you in answer to your letter of 29 March, about the problem of conversion of sea water into fresh water. Several years ago I mentioned the possibility of using nuclear energy for this purpose. I did not, however, prepare a paper for publication, and the figures that I quoted were taken from the A.E.C. literature. I have not kept a file of material on this subject, and in particular do not have anything that is up to date.

  The California Institute of Technology has, not, so far as I know, been awarded any federal money for experiments on the sea water-fresh water problem.

  There are 136O tons of water in an acre foot. I think that there probably are parts of the world in which fresh water made at sea level from salt water by use of nuclear power, and at a cost of 5 cents per ton, would be economically profitable. There is still some uncertainty about the cost, however, and it may be several years, perhaps a decade, before information about nuclear power plants and the cost of their operation will become available.

  I think that the answer to your question about the salt removed from the sea water is that it would simply be dumped back into the sea. It is, of course, possible to remove bromine, magnesium, and other constituents from the sea water, and possibly some by-product of this sort could be profitably separated in the course of the manufacture of the fresh water, but the business would probably not be a great one.

  Sincerely yours,

  Linus Pauling:W

• Letter to the Editor- Physical Review by Jesse W. M. DuMond, California Institute to Technology RE: The Variety of Our Sources of Information Avogadro's Number and Other Constants [Filed under LP Science: (National Research Council, 1950-1992), Box #14.028, Folder 28.1]
• Memorandum from L.A. DuBridge to LP RE: Informs LP that the Committee on Government and Industrial Contracts has approved his proposed research on configurations of polypeptide chains in proteins. Adds that the President’s Office also approves the proposal. [Filed under LP Science: (National Science Foundation: Grants, Exhibits, 1954-1964), Box #14.030, Folder 30.4]
• Program: The Resonating Valence-bond Theory of Metals and Some Applications; A New Theory of Ferromagnetism, Conference on The Structure of Metals and Alloys, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, April 8-9, 1954 [LP Speeches 1954s.5]
• Telegram from LP to T. T. Holme, Acting Executive Sect., Sigma Xi RE: Regrets he cannot serve as installing officer at U. of New Mexico. [Holme's telegram April 8, 1954] [Filed under S: Organizational Correspondence, Box #375.3]
• Telegram from T. T. Holme, Acting Executive Sect., Sigma Xi to LP RE: Inviting LP to act as the installing officer for the University of New Mexico Chapter [LP's reply April 8, 1954] [Filed under S: Organizational Correspondence, Box #375.3]