Linus Pauling

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

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

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

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

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

• List of peace activists
• List of American chemists
• List of Nobel laureates in Chemistry

External links

• Linus Pauling Online – Oregon State University Libraries Special Collections
• The Nature of the Chemical Bond – Pauling's Nobel Lecture

Linus Pauling Resources
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