28 May 1954

Dear Mamma,

Thank you very much for the nice box of dates and sea foam. I like them very much, but Sid and a young lady like them too, so I must fight for them.

It is most unfortunate. The Kristensen's came here while I was away on a tour of England and Wales, and consequently I did not see them. The[y] walked around my room, which is in a very dingy street, and talked to the neighbor woman, as no one was home. I regret very much missing them. Perhaps they will return.

I have written Daddy more or less when I should be free this summer, and am planning to have a little flat for Linda and myself next year. I hope she comes.

You could have filled in the Poly questionnaire. It is still cold here, but the sun shines some of the time. The trees are coming out and the flowers. The land is full of daffodils.

Odile Crick has a new baby girl. She is in Kings Lynn. Perhaps I shall go see her.

Maria von Steir is in Oxford. She is angry with me, because I went off on a trip instead of meeting her in London. I have not seen her and she has not written.

Much love,

XXXOOO Peter

May 28, 1956

"Not Sent"

To: Mr. Miller

From: Linus Pauling

Subject: The β indium-tin alloy

In the last Acta Crystallographica, page 364, there is discussion of β InSn. The authors say that their powder intensities do not agree with the structure that has been assigned the substance. I suggest that you prepare a single crystal, and check on the lattice and the intensities of reflection. I think that it is likely that the structure is correct, and that something is wrong with the powder intensities.

Also, perhaps you would be interested to study the compound FeZn₁₂. This is the high-zinc end of the eta phase in the iron-zinc system. The eta phase is reported to have hexagonal closest packing as its structure. I remember, however, having seen a statement that a crystal with approximately FeZn12 has a very complicated structure. The melting point for this composition is about 800º C.

P. S.

The four phases in the system indium-tin would provide an opportunity for an interesting discussion of ligancy and bond distances. In the sequence from indium to tin, the four phases α, β, gamma, and delta have the following numbers of short bonds and long bonds, the long bond in each case being about half as strong as the short bond: 4,8; 8,4; 2,6; 4,2. Thus the ratio of the number of short bonds to long bonds alternates between values less than and greater than unity. 1/2; 2; 1/3; 2. The total ligancy decreases: 12; 12; 8; 6. I think that a study should be made of the Brillouin zones. The gamma phase is also in the mercury-tin system investigated by Professor Bergman. The interatomic distances for β phase are all right assuming the structure that is said to be incorrect.

cc: Dr. Bergman