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Correspondence
LP to Daniel Mazia. April 1, 1953 Author: Linus Pauling
| Title: |
Linus Pauling's reply to Danial Mazia |
| Creator: |
Pauling, Linus, 1901- |
| Publisher: |
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| Date: |
1953-04-01 |
| Subject: |
Nucleic acids -- Structure
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| Description: |
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| Type: |
Text |
| Format: |
text/plain |
| Language: |
en |
| Identifier: |
mazia02-pg01.jpg |
| Source: |
Master file format: TIFF, 600 dpi, Epson GT-10000+ flatbed scanner. |
| Rights: |
http://osulibrary.oregonstate.edu/specialcollections/coll/pauling/dna/copyright.html |
| Full Text: |
I am glad to have your letter of 11 March, and to know about your work on surface films of deoxyribonucleic acid. I am afraid
that I do not have much to say about your first question - as to how to account for the stability of DNA film over a solution
in which the substance is soluble. I agree with you that your measurement of 22 A for the thickness of the film agrees nicely
with our results. The diameter of our helix is about 18A. If these molecules were to be packed together in a surface film,
there is a chance that the contact distance would be somewhat less, with a corresponding increase in the thickness of the
film. Accordingly, your value of 22 A is, I think, compatible with our structure. As to your third question, I do not have
a strong feeling about the matter. I have not thought enough about this matter as yet, to have formed a sound opinion. It
seems to me that the work that you and Mr. James have done adds one more piece of evidence to support our structure, to the
extent that it makes the thickness of the molecule roughly 20 A. I hope that you will continue to carry on work in this field.
Professor Corey and I do not feel at all sure that our structure is the correct one, but we do feel that it will be possible,
in the course of a few years, to determine the fundemental folding of polynucleotide chains in the nucleic acids.
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