1930
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Major Events

  • Linus Pauling and Samuel Goudsmit publish The Structure of Line Spectra, Pauling’s first book.
  • After spending his usual term at Berkeley, Pauling returns to Pasadena on April 13, when he and his wife make preparations for a trip to Europe. After trips to Chicago and Washington, they arrive in New York on May 1. They spend the first week of May crossing the Atlantic Ocean, arriving in London on May 8. Pauling then spends several weeks in Manchester in the laboratory of William Lawrence Bragg, but he is disappointed because he has little contact with Bragg, he is never asked to present a seminar on his work, and he learns little except how to operate a Bragg X-ray spectrometer.
  • In July, he works on quantum mechanics at Sommerfeld’s Institute for Theoretical Physics. He visits Herman Mark in his laboratory at Ludwigshafen, about 170 miles northwest of Munich. Mark shows him the apparatus that he has been using to determine the structures of gas molecules by the diffraction of electrons. Pauling asks Mark if he has any objection to CIT’s making use of the technique, and Mark says no, that in fact he is not planning to continue his work in this field.
  • In the fall, when he returns to Pasadena, Pauling asks a new graduate student, Lawrence O. Brockway, to construct an electron-diffraction apparatus, which he does. The technique is first used to verify the structure and determine the bond lengths for the hexafluorides of sulfur, selenium, and tellurium. Then Pauling makes use of the electron-diffraction technique, with Brockway and several other collaborators (especially Verner Schomaker), to determine the structures of many substances (in the 1930’s, 1940’s, and 1950’s, over two hundred molecular structures are determined by means of this technique at CIT).
  • In December, Pauling resolves the problem that has been plaguing him concerning the quantum mechanics of the chemical bond. By assuming that the radial parts of different wave functions of the carbon atom are not very different, he is able to sufficiently simplify the quantum mechanical equations to show that the best bond orbitals that the carbon atom can form are oriented at 109.47 degrees with each other (the tetrahedral angle). He spends all night developing the calculations that extend his technique (later called the hybridization of bond orbitals) to other molecules.
Chronology by Robert Paradowski.

Travel

 Berkeley, CA (28)
 Chicago, IL (6)
 Washington, DC (5)
 New York, NY 
 transit to London (6)
 London 
 Manchester, UK (53)
 Germany (84)
 transit to Pasadena, CA (8)
See the Paulings' activities in January 1930
See the Paulings' activities in January 1930

Snapshot

Studio portrait of Ava Helen Pauling, Linus Pauling, Jr. and Linus Pauling. Picture. 1930
Studio portrait of Ava Helen Pauling, Linus Pauling, Jr. and Linus Pauling. 1930. Larger Image / More Information

Statistics

  • 357 activity listings
  • 45 scanned documents
  • 13 full-text transcripts

Activity Listings - 1930 (No Date)

  • Assorted Early Notes re: the structure of proteins, 1930s - 1950s. [LP Science Box 6.001, Folder 7]
  • Assorted Manuscript Notes, Calculations and Drawings re: Chemical Bonds, No Date. [1930s] [LP Science Box 3.003, Folder 37]
  • Assorted Notes, Calculations and Drawings re: s-p and s-p-d hybridization, No Date. [1930s] [LP Science Box 3.004, Folder 11]
  • Assorted Quantum Mechanical Notes and Calculations (Pauling and Non-Pauling), 1930s - 1990s. [LP Science Box 2.004, Folder 8]
  • Atoommodel en Structuur der Spectra, by S. A. Goudsmit, with Pauling notes. H. J. Paris, Amsterdam. [LP Books, 1930b2.2].
  • Charts, Graphs, Figures and Photos re: The Structure of Line Spectra, 1930. [LP Books, 1930b2.3]
  • Data, Calculations re: evaluations of 3s 3p 3d integrals, No Date. [1930s] [LP Science Box 3.004, Folder 6]
  • Diary: "2x3" plain diary labeled "Eastern and European Trip, 1930." [Filed under LP Personal Safe: Drawer 4, Folder 4.003]
  • Figures: LP, "The Structure of the Micas and Related Minerals." [LP Manuscripts of Articles, 1930a.3]
  • Grade Ledger for Advanced Organic Chemistry, Ch. 175, First Term. [Filed under LP Research Notebooks: Research Notebook 8: 199]
  • LP Manuscript: "Comments on the Writing of the books The Structure of Line Spectra, McGraw-Hill (1930) by Linus Pauling and Samuel Goudsmit, October 30, 1989. [LP Books, 1930b2.4]
  • LP Notes re: structures of Naphthalene, Biphenyl, Anthracene and Cyanamide, No Date [1930s] [LP Science Box 1.002, Folder 5]
  • LP Notes, Reprint re: "The Crystal Structure of Cadmium Iodide", by O. Hassel, No Date. [1930s] [LP Science Box 1.001, Folder 16]
  • LP Research Notebooks, RNB 06 RE: Notes and X-ray diffraction data-Sodalite [by LP and Sidney Weinbaum] [Filed under LP Research Notebooks: Research Notebook 6: 124-130, 132, 134]
  • LP Research Notebooks, RNB 08 RE: Discussion of beryllonite. [Filed under LP Research Notebooks: Research Notebook 8: 036-037]
  • LP Research Notebooks, RNB 11 RE: Notes re: x-ray diffraction experiments on bixbyite, by LP and M.D. Shappell. [Filed under LP Research Notebooks: Research Notebook 11: 005, 008-019, 022-036, 038-040]
  • LP Research Notebooks. RE: Stibnite-1930 [Filed under LP Research Notebooks: Research Notebook 8: 059]
  • Manuscript Notes re: research of William T. Astbury on structure of proteins, No Date. [1930s] [LP Science Box 6.001, Folder 6]
  • Manuscript Notes re: structures of insulin, gelatin, zeni and lysine, No Date. [1930s] [LP Science Box 6.001, Folder 5]
  • Manuscript Notes, Calculations: "The Wave Functions for Na2+ (3s, 3p, 3d)", No Date. [1930s] [LP Science Box 3.004, Folder 8]
  • Manuscript Notes: "2s2S and 2p2P of Li, etc.", No Date. [1930s] [LP Science Box 3.004, Folder 9]
  • Manuscript Notes: "Ag2O3", No Date. [1930s] [LP Science Box 3.003, Folder 30]
  • Manuscript Notes: "Boron hydrides", No Date. [1930s] [LP Science Box 3.003, Folder 32]
  • Manuscript Notes: "Calcium aluminate hexahydrate", No Date. [1930s] [LP Science Box 3.003, Folder 33]
  • Manuscript Notes: "Comments on Mullikan's paper", No Date. [1930s] [LP Science Box 3.003, Folder 34]
  • Manuscript Notes: "Configuration of 2p2 of BeI, etc.", No Date. [1930s] [LP Science Box 3.004, Folder 10]
  • Manuscript Notes: "Cyanite, Andalusite and Sillimanite", No Date. [1930s] [LP Science Box 1.001, Folder 14]
  • Manuscript Notes: "Discussion of lowering of freezing point", No Date. [1930s] [LP Science Box 3.003, Folder 36]
  • Manuscript Notes: "Energy of 2s2p hybrid bonds at p=2.5", No Date. [1930s] [LP Science Box 3.004, Folder 7]
  • Manuscript Notes: "HIO3; H5IO5", No Date. [1930s] [LP Science Box 3.003, Folder 31]
  • Manuscript Notes: "Sidgwick's 'coordinate bond'", No Date. [1930s] [LP Science Box 3.003, Folder 35]
  • Manuscript Notes: "The Structure of Eulytin - Bi4Si3O12", No Date. [1930s] [LP Science Box 1.001, Folder 15]
  • Manuscript Notes: "The Structure of Topaz", No Date. [1930s] [LP Science Box 1.001, Folder 13]
  • Manuscript notes: "On Size and Structure of the Non-Metal Hydrides," No Date [1930s] [LP Science Box 1.002, Folder 6]
  • Manuscript: LP, "Zwicky's Theory." [LP Manuscripts of Articles, 1930a.2]
  • Notes, Calculations re: Electronegativity and the Electronegativity Scale, No Date. [1930s]; Assorted Materials re: Electronegativity. [LP Science Box 5.001, Folder 14]
  • Notes: "The Practical Significance of Minor Points in Science", No Date [1930s] [LP Science Box 10.008 , Folder 1]
  • Partial Manuscript, Notes, Calculations re: structure of micas, No Date. [1930s] [LP Science Box 5.001, Folder 13]
  • Photo: Ava Helen Pauling, Linus Pauling Jr. and Linus Pauling. Photographer unknown. Black and white print. [Filed under LP Photo Box, 1930i.1]
  • Photo: Ava Helen and Linus Pauling Jr. standing outside, holding hands. "LP Jr + mo. at 320 Wilson St. home, 1929? 1930?" Photographer unknown. Black and white print. [Ship #4055, #893, #4050] [LP Photo Box, 1930i.8]
  • Photo: Family photograph outside Adelheit Blanken's house. Back row, left to right: Martha Lindemann , Jan Blanken, Marie Muller, Steffen Muller, and Magdalene Muller. Front row: Kinder, Otto, and Karl Heinrich "LP's grandmother's house" "1930 (then was the farm w/ the longest roof)" "Picture taken about 1930" "Steffen Muller = right with child, Marie Muller Enefrmi Geb. Geruem = his wife to his right (born German), Uinder Otto Uarl H. Heinriph = 3 boys in front (left to right), Auf Dem Drm Macdalene = Magdalene (on father's arm), Magd Marth Lindemann = Maid (left), Umerft Jan Blanuen = Jan Blanuem (2nd from left)" Photographer unknown. Black and white print. [LP Photo Box, 1930i.2]
  • Photo: Linus Pauling Jr sitting, holding a large mushroom shaped object. "13055" [stamped tilted sideways] "Linus Pauling Jr Ammer Sue hei Muchen August 1930" Photographer unknown. Black and white print. [Ship #3874, #525] [LP Photo Box, 1930i.3]
  • Photo: Linus Pauling Jr. riding a bicycle. Manchester, England. "Linus 1930- Manchester England" Photographer unknown. Black and white print. [Ship #3985] [LP Photo Box, 1930i.6]
  • Photo: Linus Pauling Jr. standing in front of a house. "? Manchester 1930" Photographer unknown. Black and white print. [Ship #3984] [LP Photo Box, 1930i.5]
  • Photo: Linus Pauling Jr. standing in front of a house. Photographer unknown. Black and white print. [Ship #4053 and 4062] [LP Photo Box, 1930i.9]
  • Photo: Linus Pauling Jr. standing on the deck of the S.S. Bleuen. "1930 on board S.S. Bleuen" [?] [stamped sideways] "2278" Photographer unknown. Black and white print. [Ship #3881] [LP Photo Box, 1930i.4]
  • Photo: Linus Pauling standing outside, next to Linus Pauling Jr. Linus Jr. sitting on a bicycle. Manchester, England."Manchester England 1930 LP Jr" Photographer unknown. Black and white print. [Ship #3986] [LP Photo Box, 1930i.7]
  • Photo: Linus and Ava Helen Pauling standing outside, holding Linus Pauling Jr. between them. "320 So. Wilson Pasadena 1927" "Pasadena, AHP, Linus Jr. and LP." Photographer unknown. Black and white print. [Ship #3505] [LP Photo Box, 1930i.10]
  • Publication: Written by LP and M. D. Shappell: "The crystal structure of bixbyite and the C-modification of the sesquioxides." Z. Kristall., 75. [Filed under LP Publications, 1930p.9]
  • Publication: Written by LP and Samuel Goudsmit: "The Structure of Line Spectra." McGraw-Hill, New York. [Filed under LP Publications, 1930p.12]
  • Publication: Written by LP: "Note on the lattice constant of ammonium hexafuoaluminate." Z. Kristall. 74. [Filed under LP Publications, 1930p.4]
  • Publication: Written by LP: "On the crystal structure of nickel chlorostannate hexahydrate." Z. Kristall., pp. 482-492. [Filed under LP Publications, 1930p.1]
  • Publication: Written by LP: "Rotational motion of molecules in crystals." Physical Review, 36. [Filed under LP Publication, 1930p.7]
  • Publication: Written by LP: "The crystal structure of cadmium chloride." Z. Kristall., 74. [Filed under LP Publications, 1930p.11]
  • Publication: Written by LP: "The crystal structure of pseudobrookite." Z. Kristall. 73, pp 97-112. [Filed under LP Publications, 1930p.2]
  • Publication: Written by LP: "The structure of sodalite and helvite." Z. Kristall. 74. [Filed under LP Publications, 1930p.5]
  • Publication: Written by LP: "The structure of some sodium and calcium aluminosilicates." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. [Filed under LP Publications, 1930p.6]
  • Publication: Written by LP: "The structure of the chlorites." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 16. [Filed under LP Publications, 1930p.10]
  • Publication: Written by LP: "The structure of the micas and related minerals." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. [Filed under LP Publications, 1930p.3]
  • Publication: Written by LP: "ber die Kristallstruktur des Rubidiumazids (On the crystal structure of rubidium azide)." Z. Physik. [Filed under LP Publications, 1930p.8]
  • Reprint: "ber den Photoeffekt in der Kschale der Atome, insbesondere ber die Voreilung der Photoelektronen," written by: Von A. Sommerfeld and G. Schur. [Filed under LP Correspondence: Sommerfeld, Arnold Reprints: Box #366.4]
  • Reprint: "ber die paramagnetischen Momente der seltenen Erden," written by Arnold Sommerfeld. [Filed under LP Correspondence: Sommerfeld, Arnold Reprints: Box #366.4]
  • Reprints RE: structure of metals, bound by LP [LP Science Box 5.005, Folder 2]
  • Several drafts of 8-page MS "The Nature of the Chemical Bond" ("Corrected" written on top) [Filed under LP Biographical: Box 1.010, Folder 1]
  • Typescript: LP, "Interaction Between Nuclear Spin and Extranuclear Electrons." [LP Manuscripts of Articles: 1930a.1]