Linus Pauling

From WikiMD's Wellnesspedia

Linus Carl Pauling (February 28, 1901 – August 19, 1994) was an American chemist, biochemist, chemical engineer, peace activist, author, and educator. He published more than 1,200 papers and books, of which about 850 dealt with scientific topics. New Scientist called him one of the 20 greatest scientists of all time, and as of 2000, he was rated the 16th most important scientist in history.

Early life and education[edit | edit source]

Pauling was born in Portland, Oregon, the first-born child of Herman Henry William Pauling (1876–1910) and Lucy Isabelle "Belle" Darling (1881–1926). He was named "Linus Carl", in honor of Lucy's father, Linus, and Herman's father, Carl.

Career[edit | edit source]

In his last years of high school, Pauling became aware of the work of Gilbert N. Lewis and Irving Langmuir on the electronic structure of atoms and their bonding to form molecules. This led Pauling to the discovery of the nature of the chemical bond in 1931 and to the development of his own valence bond approach. He introduced the concept of electronegativity, which became a fundamental concept in the study of chemical bonding.

Personal life[edit | edit source]

Pauling married Ava Helen Miller on June 17, 1923. The marriage lasted until Ava Pauling's death in 1981. They had four children.

Death and legacy[edit | edit source]

Pauling died of prostate cancer on August 19, 1994, at 19:20 at home in Big Sur, California. He was 93 years old.

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]


External links[edit | edit source]

Linus Pauling Resources

Find a healthcare provider anywhere in the world quickly and easily!

Wiki.png

Navigation: Wellness - Encyclopedia - Health topics - Disease Index‏‎ - Drugs - World Directory - Gray's Anatomy - Keto diet - Recipes

Search WikiMD


Ad.Tired of being Overweight? Try W8MD's physician weight loss program.
Semaglutide (Ozempic / Wegovy and Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) available.
Advertise on WikiMD

WikiMD is not a substitute for professional medical advice. See full disclaimer.

Credits:Most images are courtesy of Wikimedia commons, and templates Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY SA or similar.


Contributors: Admin, Prab R. Tumpati, MD