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Letter from Linus Pauling to Fred Allen. July 12, 1933.
Pauling writes to inform Allen of Yost's failure in creating a compound of xenon with chloride or fluorine, which Pauling had thought possible. Notes also that he and Ava Helen have just returned from a trip to Oregon.

Transcript

July 12, 1933

Dr. F. J. Allen,

Chemistry Department,

Purdue University,

Lafayette, Ind.

Dear Fred:

At last I can send you some information regarding the xenon experiments, which Dr. Yost has been carrying on, inasmuch as he is thoroughly experienced in the chemistry of the halogens. He found that he could not prepare a compound of xenon with either chlorine or fluorine by any of the means that he tried, and he has now given up the investigation. He and his student, Kaye, have sent a note on the experiments to the Journal of the American Chemical Society, in which they thank you for providing the xenon, I am sorry that the experiments have turned out in this way since I felt confident that xenon would combine with fluorine, at any rate, Yost obtained some red crystals, which he at one time thought contained xenon, but which he later decided were the pink form of hydrogen chloride.

My wife and I have just visited Oregon, where we saw Prof Fulton, Gilbert, and a lot of other people. We had such a good time that we are thinking of spending our vacation there next year.

With best wishes to you and Mrs. Allen, I am

Very sincerely yours,

LP:M

P.S. I want to thank you very much for providing the xenon. If there is anything that I can do for you, let me know and I shall try to do it.

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