Linus Pauling: And the Chemistry of Life

Oxford Portraits in Science

by Thomas Hager

Linus Pauling was the most important chemist, and arguably the most important American scientist, of the 20th century. From his description of the chemical bond to his discovery of the cause of sickle-cell anemia and his groundbreaking work with vitamin C, his work stretched the boundaries of chemistry, physics, biology, immunology, and more. Acclaimed science writer Tom Hager brings Pauling's wide range of scientific accomplishments vividly to life while also shedding light on Pauling's activities outside the scientific realm. He shows how Pauling used his popularity to advance political causes, particularly his opposition to the spread of nuclear weapons during the 1950s. Despite the troubles his political activism caused him, he remained unmoved in his dedication to making the world a safer place. His perseverance was rewarded with a Nobel Peace Prize in 1963, which along with his 1954 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, made him the only person in history to win two unshared Nobels.

Oxford Portraits in Science is an on-going series of scientific biographies for young adults. Written by top scholars and writers, each biography examines the personality of its subject as well as the thought process leading to his or her discoveries. These illustrated biographies combine accessible technical information with compelling personal stories to portray the scientists whose work has shaped our understanding of the natural world.

Genres: Science, Biography, Nonfiction

144 pages, Hardcover

First published March 12, 1998

About the author

How science and technology change our lives. I believe in facts.

Reviews

[Paracelsus · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is probably the best biography of Linus Pauling. I opened the book a very late time at night and I just couldn't stop reading it until I finished and I wish it had not finished. Such an amazing storytelling. I knew a lot about his life even before reading the book, but I still learned a lot. I knew he had trouble with government but I did not know that FBI investigated him for 24 years and some of the funding agencies cut his research funding. He had really hard time finding a place to work! What a shame. How unfair!

There is no other chemist that revolutionized chemistry and medicine as much as he did. He was a true genius and it's a shame that for decades he was alienated by his colleagues and his government.

Read more here
http://chemdiary.blogspot.com/2015/04...

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Linus Pauling is the only Nobel prize winner to win two prizes by himself. A remarkable man, a great scientist, and a greater chemist, he pioneered the entire protein chemistry field by learning how he could break down the protein without destroying the molecule.

As with most extremely professional pioneers, Linus was sometimes accused of neglecting time with his family in order to pursue his scientific interests.

[Farooq Hussain · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author has written and co-authored multiple titles on Linus Pauling. The first published in 1995 “Linus Pauling: A Force of. Nature” is the most substantive treatment of the subject to date. The title is derived and adapted from that work. Linus Paulings’s science is covered as a slimmed down version from the biography mentioned above. Some of the controversies scientific and political are not as well explained as was possible with the longer work. As it stands there doesn’t seem enough science left in this book to be able to use it in a school chemistry class. And there’s a bit too much to use it in social studies. But worth a try in either case. Though it is now a bit dated having been published in 1998, it’s near the top of my list of the half dozen or so “young adult reader” biographies of Pauling published between 1988 and 2004

[天上大风 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always think for yourself. fight back. DNA研究上的落败，铁幕下被钳制的声音，第一次诺奖，然后是第二次，在不同机构间辗转。终始不定，起落有时，一生可以压缩成几页书，好也终须了。是高楼客竟去，小园花乱飞，暮春春暮，总逃不过凄凉二字。/电泳在镰刀型贫血症上的应用；pauling因为alpha螺旋的成功，总想把类比残基的碱基扔到结构外面，舍弃0.51nm坚持0.54nm的成功，也让pauling对自己更加自信了吧；kitchen blender双关，1950遗传物质从蛋白质转为dna才成为学术界主流观点（生物学思想一书中说，早期DNA提取比较暴力，拿到的都是小分子，也让此说很难被生化科学家接受）

[Martin Mckenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read of the story of a giant and good man

[Yoyo Yuan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly rated biography after Feynman.

[Jessica Petree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Linus Pauling is a fascinating person - definitely a character. It scientists often are. :)