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

Page 1
 

Letter from D. P. Riley to Linus Pauling. May 2, 1953.
Riley writes that, due to budget restraints, he is being compelled to apply for a position at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. As such, Riley asks that Pauling please provide an informal letter of recommendation. He also discusses the details of his current research on the structure of proteins as well as the on-going debate over the correct structure of DNA. Riley surmises that "of the two [DNA structures], I must say that I prefer [Watson and Crick's] as it is more flexible and labile [than the Pauling-Corey model]; also the phosphate groups are on the outside and there seems to be good chemical evidence for this." Riley does, however, note that the Pauling-Corey model is "most convincing from the packing point-of-view" and concludes that both structures might possibly exist in differing circumstances. Transcript.

Page 1
Click for Large Version
Page 1
Page 2
Page 2

Creator: D.P. Riley
Recipient: Linus Pauling
Associated: Robert D. Vold, Queen's University (Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

Date: May 2, 1953
Genre: correspondence
ID: sci9.001.11-riley-lp-19530502
Copyright: More Information

Previous Correspondence 
   Letter from Linus Pauling to Max Delbrück.

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