On the Formation of Antibodies

By the 1940s, Linus Pauling’s research interests had expanded to include many subjects generally outside the purview of a typical chemist. In particular, immunology was rapidly becoming a fascination of his – one that would come to devour more and more of his time both in and out of the lab. For Pauling, much of [...]

The Alpha Helix

[The Paulings in England: Part 5 of 5] It has been said that sometimes blessings come in disguise, and so it may be that we have the damp English spring to thank for the elucidation of the alpha-helix structure of alpha-keratin – a fundamental and ubiquitous secondary structure pattern found in many proteins. Linus Pauling [...]

An Era of Discovery in Protein Structure

[The Paulings in England: Part 4 of 5] Though metals were consuming a good portion of his time during his fellowship at Oxford, Linus Pauling’s other projects never strayed far from his thoughts.  High on the list were the mysteries of proteins, whose structures and functions were slowly starting to be unraveled. Pauling’s interest in [...]

A Theory of the Denaturation of Proteins

In 1935, as a result of being prompted toward the biological sciences in order to keep his Rockefeller Foundation funding, Linus Pauling began his research on proteins. Hemoglobin, the oxygen-binding agent in blood, was his first target; but as he became more aware of the complex nature and diversity of proteins, he began contemplating broader [...]