Linus Pauling and the Race for DNA: A Documentary History All Documents and Media  
Home | Search | Narrative | Linus Pauling Day-By-Day

All Documents and Media

Letter from Linus Pauling to Alexander Todd. February 19, 1953.
Pauling writes in reference to Bragg and Cochran's support for his and Robert Corey's desire to research the structure of the simple substances related to nucleic acids. He notes that he will not be doing research on the phosphates of adenosine, and will most likely research deoxyribose nucleotides. Pauling writes that they would like to have a team of three post-doctoral students work on the project.

Transcript

19 February 1953

Prof. A. R. Todd

University Chemical Laboratory

Pembroke Street

Cambridge, England

Dear Alex:

I am glad to have your letter of 10 February. I am sure that you had a good time in India - I shall wait until I get to Cambridge, in about six weeks to ask you about it.

I am glad that Bragg and Cochran feel that it will be all right for us to attack the problem of the structure of some of the simple substances related to nucleic acids. Corey and I shall remember not to work on the phosphates of adenosine. Corey and I agree, however, that the best substances for us to attack are the deoxyribonucleotides, as you recommend. We should like very much to have samples of the 3' and 5' phosphates of thymidine and deoxycitidine, and then later, if you are successful with the corresponding substances from deoxyadenosine and deoxyguanosine we should like to have them. I think that we shall be able to put a post-doctorate man onto the study of these substances as soon as they arrive. We hope to have about three post-doctoral people working on these problems by fall. Each investigation is a big job, but I think that it will be worth while to carry out several of these structure determinations.

I shall look forward to seeing you and Alison early in April.

Sincerely yours,

Linus Pauling:W

Return to Document Page

Home | Search | Narrative | Linus Pauling Day-By-Day