October 13, 1938 - Linus Pauling Day-by-Day

AHP writes cheque to: Adohr Milk Farms amount $29.15 [Filed under LP Biographical: Box #4.014, Folder #2]

AHP writes cheque to: Athenaeum amount $4.37 [Filed under LP Biographical: Box #4.014, Folder #2]

AHP writes cheque to: Frank J. Miller, Inc. amount $18.68 [Filed under LP Biographical: Box #4.014, Folder #2]

AHP writes cheque to: Los Angeles Gas and Electric Company amount $8.36 [Filed under LP Biographical: Box #4.014, Folder #2]

AHP writes cheque to: Mrs. R. Eidermiller amount $4.55 [Filed under LP Biographical: Box #4.014, Folder #2]

AHP writes cheque to: Standard Oil Company of California amount $11.63 [Filed under LP Biographical: Box #4.014, Folder #2]

AHP writes cheque to: Wesley Unfried amount $3.60 [Filed under LP Biographical: Box #4.014, Folder #2]

Letter from Dr. K. Lark-Horovitz to LP RE: Was pleased to learn from Yearian about the great opportunities LP has offered to him. [Filed under: L: Correspondence, Box #230, Folder #230.4]

Letter from Jonathan W. Williams to LP RE: Inquiring about the summer options at CIT that would help to strengthen his preparation in physical and theoretical chemistry. [LP's reply:October 19, 1938] [Filed under: W: Correspondence, Box #443, Folder #443.6]

Letter from LP to Arthur B. Lamb, Editor, Journal of the American Chemical Society RE: LP recommends that the manuscript on "The Higher n-Aliphatic Acids and their Methyl and Ethyl Esters" not be accepted for publication, but since he does not feel very familiar with the field he feels the MS should go to another referee first. [Filed under LP Science: Box #14.002, Folder #2.3]

Letter from LP to Arthur B. Lamb, Editor, Journal of the American Chemical Society. [Hand-written draft and notes about the MS included] [Filed under LP Science: Box #14.002, Folder #2.3]

October 13, 1938

Professor Arthur B. Lamb, Editor

12 Oxford Street

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Dear Professor Lamb:

I am returning the two papers "Infrared Studdes VIII. Absorption Bands of Hydrogels" by A. M. Buswell, Karl Krebs and W. H. Rodebush and "Infrared Studies IX, Effect of Ions of the Lyotropic Series on the Absorption Spectrum of Water" by A. M. Buswell, R. C. Gore and W. H. Rodebush.

I feel that these papers are not of the same quality as the earlier ones in the series, and I do not recommend their publication in their present form.

The first paper (VIII) contains on pp. 4-6a qualitative discussion only of the work on β-amylose, gelatin, and agar, with no data given in tables or figures. This part of the paper seems to me to have little value. In Figure 1 the absorption of the gelatin is compared with that of N-ethyl acetamide. I have been unable to understand the discussion of this given on p. 2. There can’t be OH-N bonds in N-ethyl acetamide, and I hence fail to see why the authors say that the gelatin absorption "is apparently due to O-H-N as suggested by Wrinch."

In the second paper (IX) measurements are reported for solutions of three salts (KNO₃, KI, K₃SO₄). The results for three salts only hardly justify correlation with the lyotropic series, or review of the field as given on pp. 1-3. The Authors say that further work is under way, and I recommend that this unimportant communication be withdrawn and the material included with the new results in a later paper.

It is difficult to understand why dissolved ions should increase the 3300 cm^-1 absorption so greatly without affecting the shape of the curve. A colleague of mine experiences in the infrared field says that reflection at the fluorite-water interface would be large and would change in magnitude with change in refractive index. How have the Authors corrected for this effect?

I have made several penciled corrections of spelling and typographical errors on the manuscripts. The lettering on the figures is poor; the word 'infrared" should not be capitalized; and "1 N KNO₃" or "N KNO₃" should be used instead of "NS KNOS."

Yours Truly,

Linus Pauling

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