Chapter 12 9 King Pope Geek

young dictator Noyce's health has long been elusive.In the 1920s, he was first wrongly diagnosed with cancer and then suspected of tuberculosis infection. He relied on large doses of glandular injections to boost his spirits, and had to undergo painful throat surgery because of ulcers caused by choking on fried bread. .As early as 1928, he thought he would live "five or six years at most—probably less."He began to focus his waning energies on a handful of projects, the most important of which was improving Caltech's undergraduate education system.In the early 1990s, Noyce's deteriorating health and his concerns about curriculum policy made Pauling feel that the needs of the chemistry department were being neglected.

However, Noyce has always put the academy first. In the early 1920s, in order to attract Millikan to Pasadena, he and Hale decided to devote most of Caltech's resources to the physics department.As a result, Millikan's kingdom expanded rapidly; in 1927 there were 60 graduate students in physics, compared with 20 in the chemistry department. This is the exact opposite of established universities such as Harvard and Cornell.In those schools, chemistry was still the king of the natural sciences, with more teachers, money, and glory than physics.Noyce, however, had come west for a new career.He believes that a small faction is more united, it is easier to exchange different ideas, and it is less likely to get caught up in factional struggles.At the same time, fewer teachers are able to maintain a closer dialogue with carefully selected students.He was a brilliant team coordinator, not naturally suited to dogfighting, and was content with the slow growth of the chemistry department.In the 1920s, despite being second on campus, the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering nearly tripled its overall funding, with 20 different research projects receiving funding from the Carnegie Foundation.Even when the Great Recession cut research funding and put plans for a new chemistry building on hold, Noyce didn't seem bothered.His principle of conduct is prudence.

For most teachers, there is nothing wrong with this.They are content to teach, run a small lab, and occasionally publish articles that will make sense.Only Pauling was extremely dissatisfied with this.He needed to get things done; his own research staff expanded dramatically as his new ideas continued to emerge; graduate students and postdocs flocked to his ranks; and he needed more housing and funding to keep things going.At Harvard, he had seen the superiority of chemistry over physics.Why doesn't Noyce get more out of his department? Over the years, Noyce sought to please his young talent by securing new venues, satisfying his demands for raises, and giving him promotions.When Millikan became increasingly dissatisfied with the overconfident young professor, he mediated in it.Pauling repeatedly threatened to leave the school to achieve his goal, which made Millikan feel that this guy was too arrogant and too selfish.Maybe he is really as good as Noyce said.However, if he were in the physics department, he would never be pampered like this.

However, in order to keep Pauling, Noyce will do whatever it takes.He knew chemistry well and understood Pauling's growing importance in the field in ways Millikan could not.Pauling's research on chemical bonds based on quantum physics was supplemented and expanded by his X-ray and electron diffraction research.He has a unique knack for linking structure and theory.His ability to apply ideas explaining the structure of ice to the study of protein structure represented a major leap towards the all-encompassing physical chemistry that Ostwald had preached to Noyce forty years earlier this possibility.Moreover, this young man is extremely energetic!He buried himself in his work and lived on chemistry. After Lewis, Noyce had not seen a second person like Pauling.Pauling's creativity seemed endless.

More importantly, Pauling was created by Noyce.Noyce spotted him, guided him, and transformed him from an Oregon teenager into an international celebrity.Pauling is a living testimony of his mentor's insight into the real pearl, and also a living example of Noyce's success in practicing educational theory at Caltech. So, Noyce decided to keep Pauling anyway. z In order to keep Pauling from changing his mind, Noyce knew that good words and money alone were not enough.He needs power.So when Pauling became a full professor in the mid-1930s, Noyce made it clear to him and important people like Weaver that he would be the next chair of Caltech's chemistry and chemical engineering departments.

At first glance, the decision appears shocking.Because there were many older and more academically experienced scientists in the chemistry department than Pauling—including the nationally renowned Richard Tolman—Noyce believed that prospects were more important than experience.“Age is certainly not the primary consideration,” he writes. The overriding quality of the head of the chemistry department should be “a commitment to research . Compared with the ability to plan", the administrative ability is secondary. At this point, Pauling has no rivals.Tolman's research became more and more solitary—thoughts on the philosophy of the universe replaced important chemistry-related work—and, in any case, from the beginning of his teaching, he repeatedly claimed that he had no interest in administrative work .William Lacey, Stuart Bates, and Dickinson, professors older than Pauling's qualifications, were all satisfied with teaching and mechanically producing some research results in small laboratories.Noyce believed that only Pauling had the leadership qualities.He was full of new ideas, mastered new techniques, was able to attract the best students, was able to preside over a large and prolific laboratory, and was well-connected to the Rockefeller Foundation.While any veteran academic was capable of leading the Department of Chemistry, only Pauling was able to grow it.As early as 1932, Noyce told Weaver that Pauling might be his successor.

Then he wavered.As time went by, he discovered something in Pauling that displeased him, some qualities that were very different from his own values, which forced him to reconsider his plan to succeed.Despite his nickname of King Arthur, he is actually just a nobleman.He believed in a collaborative, corporate-style management model, in which the chief executive sought the advice of a powerful faculty council before taking action; faculty, through their own councils, effectively swayed most decisions in the department.Neuss disliked the management model at the German Institute of Chemistry, in which the research work of the masters was at the center and their decision-making authority could not be questioned.Noyce's form of management is precisely the personal creation after examining the German model; he believes that the German model produces followers rather than scholars with independent thinking ability, "the result of this system is often that the leader An eminent man overwhelmed by the burden of tedious administrative affairs, under a less than satisfactory group of scholars."

As Pauling's research work expanded, he adopted attitudes that Noyce did not want to see in many ways.In Pauling's laboratory, Pauling decides what questions to ask and what means to answer them; he assigns others to solve problems for him rather than teaching them the skills of independent thinking.In this exciting academic environment, fruitful research work is carried out in an orderly manner, and Pauling's students and postdocs never complain; they are learning a new chemical thinking that will later help them open up the best research centers everywhere. the gate. Complaints come from other professors.Pauling not only ran his laboratory on the German model; he also defended his own interests and his own research, putting the needs of the department as a whole second.One professor called this "aggressive management style" and it was not appreciated by those who are now Pauling's equals and will soon be working under him.In the 1930s, there was a wave of thought against Pauling in the department.Older colleagues saw him as a megalomaniac; colleagues his age were jealous of his sudden rise to fame.It was elder brother jealousy: everyone knew that Pauling was the king's favorite, "Noyce's confidant."Pauling was working on his research and had neither the time nor the interest to appease his colleagues.

Noyce was very worried about this, and at the same time he was deeply worried about Pauling's attitude of not asking about major affairs of the college.The young man's dedication to his career is unquestionable.He was a loner, first for himself, then for the chemistry department, and finally for Caltech.He knew nothing of, and had no interest in, academic politics; he issued orders to school authorities, not requests.Millikan didn't like him.Noyce found in his protégé an impatience and irrationality that puzzled him.As Pauling became more and more successful, this tendency became more and more obvious.

Pauling, on the other hand, performed his duties on the departmental committee well and was an excellent teacher.He was still somewhat interested in the department's curriculum, especially the way undergraduates learn chemistry.Maybe he can be directed to pay more attention to some college affairs.In the early 1930s, Noyce drew up a plan for young faculty to sit on a policy committee to "understand the problems and ideas of the college" through consultations with Caltech administrators; Lin and Tolman attended.On another occasion, Pauling remembers, Noyce named him "executive officer" of the chemistry department.Noyce may have created this post to create a stepping stone for Pauling to eventually become department chair. "But I didn't do anything as an executive," Pauling said. "He didn't hold me accountable for anything."

While Neuss was hesitating, early in 1935 he received a fatal blow: he was diagnosed with colon cancer.Doctors told him his only chance was immediate surgery.Noyce, horrified by the surgery, was adamantly opposed to it.He told no one of his illness except Hale, Millikan, and a few closest friends.He started to leave school and be alone.Sometimes at the cabin in San Pasco near the school, sometimes at the beach house in Corona del Mar.There, he can quietly watch the seagulls soar, the waves roll, and hear the laughter of people on the beach brought by the sea breeze, and the waves of Cape Cod and his sunny days in Italy come to mind.There he can forget about the troubles of school for a while. Despite Noyce's best efforts to keep his illness under wraps, rumors were spreading around the school before long. Pauling's reaction was exactly what everyone feared most.He has been looking forward to replacing Neuss for many years, and now it seems that the time has come.A series of immediate decisions were required, including plans for the development of organic chemistry, the long-term relationship with the Rockefeller Foundation, and the delay of the new chemistry building due to the Great Depression.Noyce seems to have given up on any decision-making, and Pauling needs to know what's next, especially the timetable for his succession as department chair.But no one mentioned it to him.Noyce was in a semi-reclusive state, while Millikan kept him at arm's length.In the end, Pauling decided to take action himself. In July 1935, he borrowed an invitation from Ohio State University to ask to discuss his situation with Millikan. This meeting was a disaster.Millikan, a close comrade-in-arms of Noyce, was apprehensive about his friend's illness; the last thing he wanted to deal with at the moment was Pauling's apparent demand for another raise.Pauling complained about the shortage of funds, told Millikan that more funds should be allocated to the chemistry department, and reminded him of the superiority of chemistry over physics in other universities, and the atmosphere of the meeting turned sharply.Millikan didn't bother to answer Pauling's questions at all; in his opinion, as long as Noyce was still alive and was still the head of the chemistry department, Pauling didn't have to worry about funding at all.Then he realized Pauling's real motivation for the trip: he needed to secure his dean post after Noyce's death.Millikan was furious.Suppressing his anger, he told Pauling that the school had no plans to increase the chemistry department's share of the college's funding.However, when Pauling repeatedly returned to the topic of the appointment of the department chair, he could no longer hold back.Millikan told the pompous young man that he was too young to even think about being a department chair.Personally, Pauling didn't bother to think about that type of executive position for the next ten to fifteen years.Then he threw Pauling out. Pauling was stunned for a moment.Millikan's words completely overturned his own future arrangement that he thought was certain.And Millikan's statement that he was too young to take on such an important task was unreasonable.Pauling was thirty-four years old, three years older than Slater when he was in charge of MIT's physics department, and not a few years younger than Conant when he was nominated president of Harvard University.Something must have gone wrong. It took Pauling a full two weeks to re-acquaint himself with his position, and he decided that he had to figure it out.He sent Noyce a carefully worded letter repeating the same old tune: "I feel I have to leave the academy. . . . Develop the planning of the Department of Chemistry and arrange a corresponding role for me." Noyce received the letter in Coronado.He has avoided making any decisions for months, but now it appears he must address Pauling's future head-on.He had always worried that it would unravel the chemistry department he had worked so hard to build in the last years of his life.He asked his secretary to write a copy of Pauling's letter and hand it to Hale himself, and he also wrote a paragraph himself. "Pawling is very ambitious, ambitious, and self-centered, but I really believe that his main idea is to establish a larger research center outside his research field." Then he asked for an urgent appointment to see Tolman, Hale, and Millikan. At the meeting, everyone quickly realized that the problem was not that simple.Millikan wanted Tolman to succeed him; he was not only old but the right man; he belonged to the same private clubs and social circles as Millikan and Caltech's biggest benefactors.On the other hand, everyone remembers Pauling as a freshman in graduate school.He came from a remote area, was very poor, and lived in a rented dilapidated house with his young wife and children.How could he handle the millionaires the Academy needed to befriend?Millikan was particularly concerned about the reckless Pauling's performance before his own council.Noyce, however, remained unconvinced that Tolman would devote himself fully to the chemistry department or administration, arguing that losing Pauling would be a great loss to the college.Tolman himself expressed reservations about replacing Noyce alone. In the end, everyone reached a compromise: adopting a divide-and-conquer management model for the Department of Chemistry.Pauling will be the nominal dean, but he will share his authority with a new chemistry department committee.The five-member committee will make the final decisions on appointments, promotions, salaries and budgets.Tolman will serve as the chemistry department's representative on Caltech's Executive Council, dealing with trustees. The plan was drawn up in July, but when it was officially announced in November, Pauling's role was further diminished.Perhaps Noyce was reluctant to retire; perhaps the faculty in the chemistry department objected to the original plan.In short, in the end Noyce was appointed chairman of the Chemistry Department Committee, of which Pauling was a member.The chairman is an ex-officio member of the committee and has no real power.He can refer matters to committees, but has no voting rights.This system ensures that after Noyce's death, his model of mutual cooperation and collective management of teachers can continue, and it will not cause a single person to monopolize the chemistry department.Stripped of all substance, the titular chair of the chemistry department committee would be given to Pauling in due course. Pauling got the news.Just after Christmas, he wrote to Conant about his interest in coming to Harvard.However, the situation has changed a lot since seven years ago when colleges rushed to hire Pauling.There are many young chemists trained in quantum mechanics to choose from—Harvard just recruited one of Pauling's favorite students, Brett Wilson, a year ago—and moved Pauling's huge research team east. It takes a lot of money.After two weeks of ruminating on a budget in the wake of the Great Recession, Conant wrote back: "I am very sorry to tell you that at this time Harvard does not appear to be able to offer the opportunities you need." Pauling, who suffered a double blow to his self-esteem, plunged back into his research work.Noyce healed Pauling's wounds by enlisting him in one of the last big projects he hoped to achieve in his lifetime, the creation of an institute of bioorganic chemistry.This new interdisciplinary research group will apply the tools of modern chemistry to reshape biology.Pauling, who will be the academic leader of the college, will get an entire floor of the new building, he said.The other faculty will be some of the best academics in the world, to be hired in the future.The promise of more space and higher academic stature helped Pauling overcome his own disappointment and focus on his work. Weaver visited Caltech in March 1936, and he was very pleased to learn that Pauling had made progress in hemoglobin research.When Pauling introduced his newfound interest in other protein research over dinner, and how his work might help fight cancer, Weaver couldn't contain his glee. Weaver also visited a visibly debilitated Noyce.Noyce worked hard, sought funding from all sides, and recruited troops to prepare for the expansion and equipment of the School of Bioorganic Chemistry.Weaver was so excited about the project—it suggested, after all, that his long-held belief in how to study biology would be realized—that he told Noyce that he, along with the council, would be watching the project closely. Noyce was confident in the project, and he was eager to get everything in order before he died.He asked Pauling to fully examine suitable candidates for the new college.This time it was Pauling who put on airs.He wrote to Noyce that it would be better to submit a detailed plan to the Rockefeller Foundation around the progress of his research, and then see what action was taken.Noyce couldn't wait.He had decided to go to the Mayo Clinic for a colon operation, his last chance to be cured of his cancer.He quickly sent Weaver a six-page outline outlining his ideas for the development of organic chemistry and detailing a proposed building funded by private individuals.Then Pauling was sent to the East Coast to scout for talent, and this time he pulled Noyce's back.In New York, he admonished Weaver that he felt that Noyce "was in a bit of a hurry to do something in his lifetime...in the position he is in...".Pauling still believed that, however titular the post of department chair might be, it was his.He didn't want to be tied down by a decision made by a dying patient.He wants to make his own decisions when the time comes. He doesn't have to wait long.The Mayo Clinic surgery failed, and Noyce returned to Pasadena in May.He lay in bed in his San Pascoe Avenue apartment, tended by his maid and a permanent assistant.Pauling, who was busy with Mosky at the time putting the finishing touches on his thesis on protein denaturation, visited Neuss twice during his final weeks; no one raised the subject of his succession as department chair. On June 3, 1936, news spread throughout the campus: King Arthur had passed away. This marks the end of an era. Noyce's restraint, urbaneness, and generosity had their roots in the nineteenth century; he followed a fast-disappearing way of life, slow, well-educated, contented.No more student rides in old Moses, no more cocoa at seminars, no more of what Millikan called Noyce's "beautiful character" in his eulogy.There will be no more poetry.The future belongs to the less romantic, more pragmatic, quick-sighted Pauling-men of the 20th century. Noyce played a coordinating role in the department, which became fully apparent after his death.The hostility that teachers had built up over the past year has now become public.Some teachers felt that Pauling pushed Noyce hard even during his serious illness, and others said of Weaver that Pauling "obsessed and pestered him in an unreasonable, even unforgivable, way (Noyce), forcing him to take on the unbearable task of leading the chemistry department", which may even hasten the deterioration of Noyce's condition.Older professors, Tolman, Dickinson, and Lacey, bluntly sympathized in a letter to Millikan and "suggested" that Pauling be temporarily promoted to chair of the department—with newly redefined terms of reference, Hardly any powers—simply because his research work is vital to Caltech, although “we have serious concerns about whether Professor Pauling is fully fit for the job.  … To the extent we doubt that he has The ability to make policy, the ability to treat people with generosity and sincerity.” This anti-Pawling sentiment was on full display at Noyce's funeral.Honorary bearers include every member of Caltech's executive committee and every faculty member in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering -- except Pauling.Pauling was so embarrassed by this particular practice that he approached Millikan and demanded to know why he was treated so unfairly.Millikan claimed ignorance, saying the list was made by the chemistry department. Another insult ensued.After the funeral, the appointment of the head of the department was officially announced—but Tolman, not Pauling.This may just be a form of respect for the predecessors, because Tolman has already shown that he is not fit for the job, so he immediately refused, but this is actually tantamount to another slap in the face of Pauling. Eventually the title of department chair was offered to Pauling, but Pauling, furious at the humiliation, refused to accept it.Without thinking about the consequences, he hastily wrote Millikan a short and blunt rejection letter.He wrote in the letter that the new departmental committee structure meant he would be held accountable without real power.The proposed salary of $7,500 is also too low.He needed a commitment from the school to support the chemistry department.Moreover, what he hopes to get is not only the title of department chair, but also Noyce's other title, director of Gates' laboratory.He turned in the letter on Aug. 10 and took the family on vacation to Oregon. After two weeks, he went back to school.In a letter to a friend, he wrote: "Our chemistry department is still a mess, and I am afraid that we will encounter many troubles before everything is on the right track." Millikan thought that Noyce's death would make Pauling Repentant, he gladly accepted the appointment of the head of the department; the tone of Pauling's letter so shocked him that he refused to hand over the letter to the administrative committee.The letter was a testament to his fears about Pauling: that he was too young and inexperienced to be the head of the department.It is too easy to resort to "dictatorial" tactics.Millikan refused to give Pauling any answer. Pauling and the "sir" continued to stare at each other in silence, and it took two full months before Pauling blinked.In November, he asked Millikan again to tell him what was going to happen.Millikan replied icily that he was waiting for Pauling to come up with an institutional reform plan that he would "satisfy" with. Even if negotiations were held between them, nothing was achieved. As the new year passed in 1937, the Department of Chemistry still had no dean. Weaver followed the developments from his New York office.Growing impatient, he decided to take action.Noyce's bioorganic chemistry funding had been initiated; Weaver thought Pauling and a leading organic chemist could accomplish great things, and he hoped the funding would pay off.Caltech's current harsh environment complicates everything.Although he was well aware of Pauling's lack of teamwork—he believed that Millikan should have "slapped him" when Pauling handed the rejection letter back in August—he still regarded Pauling as his own. A key figure in the Caltech program. Weaver traveled by train to Pasadena in January 1937 to coordinate.He found that the situation was worse than he feared.Pauling and Millikan severed all ties with each other.Milligan himself began managing funds in bioorganic chemistry, although he knew nothing about it.Pauling stood proudly aside, waiting for a decision in his favour. Weaver first sat down with Pauling.Someone who could understand him came to listen to his grievances, and Pauling poured out all the words smoldering in his heart.He said he worried about not balancing his academic and administrative time well.Look at the situation of Noyce - he handles the affairs of the college in every detail, but he himself has not produced any valuable results in the laboratory.Under the new departmental committee system, the department head is just a puppet, without decision-making power, but has to accept the hardships of others for decisions that are not made by himself.And on some small matters that he can handle by himself, he also needs to waste a lot of time discussing with the committee.Pauling also said that he was extremely dissatisfied with not giving him the position of director of the laboratory, because although it may seem insignificant to outsiders, the title has practical importance in the eyes of other scientists in his field.The issue of salary is also of considerable importance, since he is now earning much less than the salaries of other department chairs. Weaver felt that Pauling's words were justified, and he began to have a new respect for the young scholar.Then, Pauling let Weaver read the rejection letter he wrote on August 10 and asked him to express his views frankly.Weaver read it over and said the letter was "curly, even cheeky."He told Pauling that he was too young compared with the members of the administrative committee; mentioning him as department chair showed that the trustees had great confidence in him, which could be said to be a gift to him.His reply not only failed to acknowledge the honour, but also gave no reasoning behind his decision.It looked as if Pauling was throwing the chair of the department back in their faces.It's a humiliation.So it was no surprise that they made him wait.That night, Weaver wrote in his diary: "Pauling seems to accept my criticism with sincerity, and expresses with deep sorrow that he has made a big mistake." After admonishing one side, Weaver began to reason with the other, telling Millikan Pauling's concerns and plans for the chemistry department.He said that it is commendable that this young man has maintained a clear mind during the long wait, and that Pauling is very important to the Rockefeller Foundation.He asked Millikan to understand. After Weaver returned to New York, Millikan and Pauling began a dialogue aimed at determining a system that would satisfy both parties.In April, almost a year after Noyce's death, Pauling informed Weaver of the good news. "After talking with you, I found Professor Millikan, determined to eliminate the gap between us. We reached a consensus without much effort, and I believe everyone will be satisfied." Pauling was certainly satisfied.He will retain the titles of department chair and chair of the departmental committee, and his salary will increase to $9,000. Amid the apprehension and fear of others, Pauling successfully assumed the role of department head, which should be attributed to his following Noyce's administrative management system and focusing on his own scientific research work.As head of the department, he needs to make public appearances, travel, give lectures, raise the profile of the school, and attract large sponsorships.Everything else is delegated to others."As an administrator, for some reason, I've gotten into the habit of handing over almost everything to someone else," he said. assistant.This choice is very correct, because Sturtevant is pragmatic and decisive-he is in charge of the instrument workshop of the Department of Chemistry, and besides daily administrative affairs, he also designed and manufactured some sophisticated chemical instruments and equipment-in the memory of a professor , he is "one of the most capable men I know." Most other day-to-day decisions are made by a number of standing committees within the department.Even the thorny issue of a new departmental council structure was resolved with great ease: Pauling did not resort to all-faculty votes for any new faculty appointments or other major decisions, but rather through small Range voting to resolve.Here, too, Pauling showed his talents: Before voting, Pauling would test the water temperature and reach an agreement through informal conversations, thus avoiding many public debates.Faculty meetings are short and effective, and most professors prefer this format. A few weeks after being nominated for department chair, Pauling wrote to a friend: "Thank you very much for your letter about my new position. I don't know what the future holds, but so far things have Going downhill because I've managed to avoid responsibility for anything but the most innocuous things." Concerns about Pauling's "dictatorial" tendencies appear overblown.Perhaps there was a shift in research emphasis across the department—Noyce favored inorganic physical chemistry, while Pauling focused on the new bioorganic chemistry—but the faculty soon realized that nothing major would change .Life in the department continued smoothly and harmoniously, at least on the surface. There are only a few exceptions.Tolman, as a good friend of Noyce's, politely kept his distance from Pauling; beyond the politeness, their relationship never warmed up.The other was Don Eustace, an opinionated and solitary inorganic chemist.Pauling remembers him being "a little bit against me," perhaps because Eustace was disgruntled that the chemistry department's focus had strayed from his own field, or perhaps because Pauling was still bitter about Eustace's failure to find the xenon compound he had predicted the previous time. Yu Huai.Yost stayed at Caltech until his retirement, often at odds with Pauling, and was the sole dissenting vote on many department decisions.He didn't deliberately conceal his hostility towards Pauling, and sometimes it developed to the point where the two of them didn't say a word. Despite these accidents, Caltech's chemistry department not only survived but grew further under Pauling's leadership.Two years later, Pauling proudly reported to Weaver that the number of graduate students in the chemistry department had grown from 25 to 45, and the number of postdocs had doubled.Students flocked to Caltech not only because Noyce had created a strong chemistry department but because Pauling was now at the head.He promotes the development of chemistry with his own ideas on chemical bonds and molecular structures, leading the way. Werner Shoemaker, a graduate student in the mid-1930s, said: "Many students come to Caltech because they have heard of Pauling's name. He didn't disappoint anyone. He always created a succession. A miracle, big or small." Richard Noyce, son of the head of the chemistry department at the University of Illinois, could have gone to any graduate school in the late 1930s, but he chose Caltech because It was "thriving, .Pauling's extraordinary intelligence and personal style created this special feeling.He does not hide in the office, only showing his face when speaking at seminars or chairing meetings.He doesn't have to worry about his secure position now, and now he's wandering the corridors, poking his head into the lab, chatting and joking with anyone he comes across.The freshman originally thought that he would meet someone who rejected him thousands of miles away.A formidable great man, yet found him friendly, easy-going, and remarkably young—he was only ten years older than most graduate students—who asked about their interests, listened to their ideas, talked frankly about his own, and The most amazing thing is that he can treat them equally.He invited students and postdocs to his home to listen to records, eat breakfast, and have Thanksgiving dinner together.Sometimes, they also babysit for Pauling.He led them into the desert for a camping trip.Pauling's style was free and unrestrained--Western style--and it was very different from other chemistry departments that were always called Mr. or Professor.At Caltech, on the Pauling track, authentic, innovative, leading-edge chemistry is both exciting and fun. The post of dean also had a neutralizing effect on Pauling.爱娃有了鲍林新的工资作后盾，更加刻意地将他打扮得符合他的新职务。她为鲍林买了更加昂贵的西服，把他打扮成加州理工学院的时装模特儿。鲍林在讲课的时候也不再斜依在讲台上。与路易斯在一起时，两人也更加班配，令路易斯欣喜万分。 鲍林浑身是劲。在36岁的时候，他在自己选择的领域中成名，领导着世界上最强大、最有影响的化学实验室。他靠自己的努力取得了这一切。他非常高兴。 这种情绪洋溢在他的脸上，渗透在他走路的姿势里。从他的一位助手埃迪·休斯在30年代末拍摄的家庭录像中，我们可以看到鲍林和朋友们在威尔逊山上，低着头，两手背在身后，陷入沉思，也许在思考着一个化学难题。但是没有紧张的感觉；他自在地溜哒着，四肢放松，怡然自得。一般的科学家总是一本正经的，即使在最放松的时候，也让人觉得有些滑稽。然而只要相机一转向鲍林的方向，他马上会咧开嘴，脸上绽放出灿烂的笑容，活像一个钓到大鱼的中学生。这笑容已成为鲍林的“商标”。 科里 在等待系主任职位的一年中，鲍林没有停止旅行、演讲、教学，他以令人瞠目结舌的速度发表了一篇又一篇的学术论文，几乎每三到四个星期就有一篇：对于血红蛋白更进一步的磁性研究，对于有机和无机分子结构的更广泛的涉足，关于染料色彩的新理论，还有对金属结构的新认识。他与布莱特·威尔逊合着的量子力学教科书出版了。他还计划写一本关于自己的共振理论在有机化学上应用的书，并且与自己以前的一位学生韦兰德已经完成了几个章节，但是在其他琐事的压力之下，这本书最终没有能够完成。 然而，他的首要目标是解决蛋白质的结构问题。他开始在几个层次上同时着手。阿斯特伯里在1937年5月访问了帕萨迪纳。他同鲍林进行了探讨，并给他看了角蛋白一些最新的Ｘ射线照片。两人在蛋白质是一条长链这点上意见一致，然而对深层结构产生了分歧。鲍林说：“我当然了解利兹的阿斯特伯里有关角蛋白结构的文章——毛发、兽角、指甲等等。但是我知道阿斯特伯里的观点是错误的……因为我们通过简单分子的研究获得的键长、键角和氢键结构的知识足以让我们推翻他的观点。但是当时我还没有找到正确的答案。” 同伯纳尔和其他的英国蛋白质Ｘ射线晶体学家一样，阿斯特伯里试图直接通过复杂的Ｘ射线衍射来解决蛋白质结构的问题。鲍林仍然喜欢他在研究硅酸盐矿物时十分奏效的随机法：尽量获取有关物质大小和形状的数据，推断将其结合在一起的化学键形态，运用以上信息制作精密的模型，然后检验这一模型是否符合Ｘ射线数据。 他决定对角蛋白也采用这一方法。角蛋白是由氨基酸构成的，但是令人遗憾的是，对于这些相当复杂的分子，没有像样的Ｘ射线结构分析。鲍林认为，即使没有理想的结构数据，他对于相关分子的认识也足以让他推测出氨基酸是如何互相联结在一起构成阿斯特伯里的阿尔法角蛋白的。鲍林的假设中很重要的一条是基于他从前的一种观点，即肽键具有相当程度的双键特性，这样就限制了其两侧原子的转动，使它们处在同一个平面上。这一认识，加上对氨基酸大小的基本概念和对氢键重要性的认识，就构成了鲍林研究的起点。 1937夏天，鲍林一直被这个问题困扰着。他尝试了一种又一种氨基酸链的排列方式，以符合阿斯特伯里的Ｘ射线数据，并包含尽可能多的氢键。他试图建立一种互相纠结在一起的平面带状结构，就像阿斯特伯里提出的那样；但是不管他怎样排列，都无法满足x射线的数据。他试图将结构设想成是三维的；但还是不行。主要的问题是，阿斯特伯里的数据显示在氨基酸链上，每隔5.1埃（一埃等于一千万分之一毫米）将会出现一个重复的构造。鲍林的模型无一能满足这一条件。 到了9月份，鲍林放弃了努力。也许他对于氨基酸构造的设想是错误的。也许他从别的分子结构中借用的键长和键角不适用于蛋白质。也许肽键不是平面的，而可以扭曲。也许他对于氢键的认识是错误的。 只有通过精确地确定单个氨基酸的结构并确认它们互相联结的方式才可能回答这些疑问。鲍林已经让一个研究生加斯·埃尔布莱希特培养供分析用的氨基酸晶体。但是仅靠一个研究生的才能是远远不够的：氨基酸比用Ｘ射线分析过的任何有机分子都大得多，复杂得多——甚至连甘氨酸，最简单的氨基酸，也含有排列复杂的十个原子——而且成功需要远见、技巧以及多年的辛勤劳动。他上哪里去寻找这样一位既有技巧又有毅力的人呢？ 命运将身材瘦削、其貌不扬的罗伯特·科里带到了鲍林身边。科里是全国为数不多的精通蛋白质晶体衍射的科学家之一。1924年他在康奈尔大学获得博士学位，接着在洛克菲勒医学研究院协助拉尔夫·威科夫用Ｘ射线来分析从豪猪刺到结晶血红蛋白的形形色色的蛋白质。当威科夫的实验室由于机构调整被取消后，科里拿到了一年的工资、从威科夫那里要来的所有仪器和一封推荐信。1937年4月，鲍林收到科里的一封信，询问能否自带仪器和薪水到帕萨迪纳来工作一年。鲍林当然不会反对，但是告诫科里说，很有可能没有足够的经费永久性地雇佣他。 当鲍林遇见科里时，他可能有些迟疑。科里看上去不止40岁，身材瘦长，头发稀疏，留着一撮胡髭。他小时候患过严重的小儿麻痹症，没能很好地恢复；他的腿瘸得厉害，要靠拐杖才能走路。他性格腼腆，超过了鲍林喜欢的程度——鲍林后来说他是“一个没有脾气的好人”——但在交谈了一会儿之后，鲍林就发现科里对Ｘ射线晶体学了如指掌。科里还有另外一些特殊的品质：他含而不露，实际知道的比他说出来的要多得多。他告诉鲍林，他已经开始对甘氨酸结构作第一步研究。鲍林后来回忆道：“他和我共同决定，他将研究确定某些氨基酸晶体和简单的缩氨酸的结构。”接着他更正了自己的说法。“说是他和我共同作出这一决定并不正确。很有可能他早已下定了决心，只不过他巧妙地让我同意了他的观点，让我觉得这是我们共同的决定。后来我了解到他精于此道。” 两人从此将开始一段长期卓有成效的合作。 绝对正确的帕萨迪纳研究 科里来校后不久，鲍林就接受了康奈尔大学的邀请，以乔治·费希尔·贝克讲座主讲人的身份前往康奈尔大学作为期4个月的访问。这一身份具有崇高的声望，讲课人要对某一专题举行一系列讲座，并由康奈尔大学出版社作为贝克系列丛书中的一种出版。鲍林选择的题目是化学键的本质。他在9月底和爱娃一起来到了伊萨卡，将孩子们——12岁的小莱纳斯，6岁的彼得，5岁的琳达和3个月前刚刚出生的爱德华德·克莱林——托付给朋友们照管。他们住进了康奈尔大学的泰鲁菜得楼。爱娃庆幸自己能够暂时摆脱一帮孩子的纠缠，这也是他俩十年前第一次去欧洲之后她和丈夫单独在一起最长的一段时间。鲍林夫妇尽情享受这段美好的时光，出席招待会和晚宴，还不时到纽约去听一场最新的音乐会或是去跳舞。 躲开了系主任的日常事务，鲍林有充裕的时间来完成一个已经酝酿了很久的大项目——将自己有关化学键的所有思想写成一本书。贝克讲座是他的出发点，但是最终的内容将更为广泛。在伊萨卡逗留的几个月时间里，他写出了初稿，并在1938年回到理工学院之后对手稿进行了扩充。 《化学键的本质和分子及晶体的结构：现代结构化学入门》在1939年出版，立刻成为一部经典的著作。它的读者对象是高年级的化学专业研究生，但是其影响远远超出了教科书的范围。这部著作将改变全世界科学家对化学的认识。以往，化学被视作以一些实用公式描述的经验数据的大杂烩，但鲍林在此书中首次用一种物理理论——鲍林对于化学键的量子力学思想——统一了这一切。阐述化学键的性质如何决定分子结构，分子结构又如何决定化学性质，按照马克思·佩鲁茨的说法，鲍林首次“使人们理解了化学，而不用死记硬背”。在书中，鲍林还向化学家们介绍了Ｘ射线和分子衍射这两种确定原子键长和键角的重要工具，并通过这些工具来揭示化学键的本质。在这本书出版之前，很少有化学家注意到神秘的晶体学；在这本书出版之后，没有化学家再敢忽视其价值。 这本书条理清晰，使用的语言也是化学家喜闻乐见的。鲍林故意剔除了几乎所有的数学公式以及量子力学的详细推导过程，而注重描述现实世界中的实例。书中到处是分子的结构示意图；尽管涉及的内容很广泛，但是十分通俗。 这本书的出版立即引起了热烈的反响。一封来自依利诺伊大学教授的信代表了多数读者的想法：“我忍耐不住激动的心情，提笔向您表示祝贺。我觉得这是我读过的最出色的化学著作之一。”鲍林将此书献给路易斯。路易斯写道：“我刚过完一个短假。我随身携带的书包括几本侦探小说和你的'化学键'，而后者更为令人着迷。”再说，此书的销售情况也很好。 很快，《化学键的本质》一书成为全国大多数最好的大学采用的标准教材。它后来共出了三版，被翻译成法语、日语、德语、俄语和西班牙语，在几乎30年的时间里一再印刷。这本书将成为新一代化学家的圣经，并成为科学史上被引用最多的参考书之一。 在1939年，只有一个人对这本书提出了批评意见。这本书通篇的口气绝对自信，哈佛大学的化学家基斯塔科夫斯基在《美国化学学会学报》上发表的一篇大体肯定的评论中忍不住说：“鲍林博士如此成功地解决了本领域中的许多问题，所以可以理解他在书中流露出来的认为帕萨迪纳研究成果绝对正确的态度和他有些像教皇般的口气。” 与鲍林一起进行血红蛋白研究的合作者查尔斯·科耶尔读到了这句话。当他在校园里又一次看见鲍林的时候，他高声地向“教皇莱纳斯一世”致意。鲍林觉得这个称呼非常有趣，但是提醒他说，在罗马天主教早期已经有一位叫莱纳斯的教皇，所以更贴切的称呼应该是教皇莱纳斯二世。 当鲍林在1938年年初从康奈尔回到加州理工学院的时候，他发现科里在这几个月的时间里，在对氨基酸结构的研究上取得了惊人的进展。在失业阴影的压力下，科里日以继夜地工作着，在甘氨酸结构上的研究已经接近尾声。鲍林惊喜万分，同意科里继续他的研究工作，并将研究范围扩大到二酮哌嗪，由两个甘氨酸组成的环状结构，以获得有关肽键的知识。 科里精力充沛，一丝不苟，并创新地运用了许多Ｘ射线分析的新技巧。他很快就攻克了二酮哌嗪的结构，随后又在1939年与加斯·埃尔布莱希特合作，详尽地描述了甘氨酸的结构。这两篇论文成为蛋白质结构理论发展的里程碑。 科里将在加州理工学院度过其学术生涯的后二十年，成为鲍林Ｘ射线实验室里的得力助手。他们两人的性格迥异，而正是这种差异使他们的科学合作获得了巨大的成功。科里的长处是细致、精确，逻辑严密，这正好填补了鲍林理论灵感的火花和跳跃性思维留下的空缺。科里谨慎，鲍林果敢；科里性格内向，鲍林脾气爽朗；科里出言谨慎，鲍林性急口快。鲍林冲在前面，满脑子都是蛋白质的宏伟构思；而科里总是耐心地去获取所需的Ｘ射线数据，并一再劝戒鲍林不要冒失地发表尚不能肯定的观点。 他们的合作可谓是珠联璧合。 1938年5月16日，鲍林作为加州理工学院化学和化学工程系主任，在公开场合第一次发表了重要讲话。这是新落成的供有机化学研究的克莱林实验室的捐献仪式。实验楼共有6层，地下3层，地面3层，把化学系和生物系联结在一起。由鲍林牵头，向洛克菲勒基金提出的赞助申请很爽快地得到了批准——加州理工学院将在五年时间里获得25万美元，包括招聘新教授的经费，购置克莱林实验室专业设备的款项，以及鲍林自己的结构化学项目的每年1万美金——能将诺伊斯身前最后一个项目变成现实，鲍林感到十分自豪。参加仪式的人群中有加州理工学院的所有最高领导，以及南加利福尼亚地区许多有钱有势的男男女女。 鲍林的讲话简短扼要。他站在露天的讲台上，春风吹拂着他的头发。他谈到了将在新的实验室里进行的研究工作，说在这里一小群科学家将探索“对人类生命具有深刻影响的知识，而对这些知识的认识才刚刚起步。……以及研究化学结构和生理活动的关系……”。捐助这幢楼的爱德华德·克莱林是一个退休的钢铁巨头，他用更朴实的话说出了自己的期望：“……如果这种研究不能找到什么仙丹的话，那么至少可以更好地了解生命的过程，可以为人们带来更加健康、更加长寿的幸福生活。”人们对他俩的讲话报以礼貌的掌声。接着鲍林一一同现在和潜在的捐款人握手，最后才开始动手将仪器设备搬进新的实验室。 克莱林实验室标志着跑林生活中新的一章的开始。实验室的完成不仅扩大了他的实验场地，而且进一步确立了他的领导地位。他能够为实验室配备最优秀的人才，最现代化的设备——Ｘ射线光谱仪，超高速离心机，电子衍射仪——并以此将化学推向新的方向。他对实验室和捐助人满意之极，以至于与爱娃商量，将他们的新生儿取名为爱德华德·克莱林·鲍林，让所有人都颇感意外。（鲍林说：“护士建议给孩子取名为卡布斯，我们没有同意。”） 他们的家庭生活也进入了一个新的阶段。现在有了四个孩子和较高的薪水，鲍林夫妇需要、也承担得起一所大一些的房子。就在克莱林实验室落成后不久，他们在离校园5英里的威尔逊山下买了一幢房子。房子很漂亮，占地两英亩，面对一条峡谷，景色壮丽。他们开始规划梦幻家园——一幢结构随意的加利福尼亚农场风格的建筑，两翼厢房按一定角度联结在一起，正面是砖坯墙面。设计以适宜居住为本，不图外形美观。室内色调，冶人，客厅内有一个很大的壁炉，到处是书橱，还有很多场地供孩子们游戏。有6间卧室（四个孩子每人一间，鲍林夫妇一间，女仆一间），客厅旁有一间鲍林的书房，还有为爱娃准备的大厨房和园地。鲍林积极参与了设计的每一步骤，并向建筑师提出了许多不同寻常的要求。其中之一是鲍林的书房要求被设计成晶体的形状：八边形，周围是书架，一面能够看见峡谷。另一建议要求两翼厢房的夹角正好是104.67度——碳的正四面体键角角度。设计师满足了他的第一个要求，但是劝说鲍林放弃了第二个想法，因为设计起来实在过于复杂。最后双方妥协，将角度改为120度，苯的键角角度。 所有这些都很费钱，但是鲍林出得起。9000美元的年薪在大萧条时期是一笔巨款。在穷苦中长大，并度过十多年研究生和低级教员清贫生活的鲍林决心好好地花钱，并且花出些样子来。作为对自己获得系主任一职的最后奖励，他给自己买了一辆时髦漂亮的林肯西风轿车。日后他将越来越钟情于飞车。 克莱林实验室完工之后，寻找科学家的任务就显得重要起来。最初的打算是聘用一位世界级的资深有机化学家来辅助鲍林，一个能够吸引资助和学生的人物，这样可以尽快保证项目的成功。另外，洛克菲勒基金还有足够的钱来招募一两位有前途的青年科学家。 资深有机化学家一职有些问题。科南特显然不可能，而鲍林又看不上其他的美国学者，韦弗只好派人到欧洲去招贤。他和鲍林花了一年时间向苏格兰有机化学大师亚力山大·托德大献殷勤。托德有相当成功的历史，而且他的结构观点正好和鲍林的观点相符。他们出钱邀请他来加州理工学院住了六个月，希望南加利福尼亚的暖流和热情会发挥通常的魔力。然而在访问之后，托德决定还是呆在英国。后来，鲍林对一位匈牙利科学家拉斯罗·泽希迈斯特产生了浓厚的兴趣。他的特长是运用一种最近被再次发掘出来的色谱法对有机分子进行提纯和研究。这一技术将有机分子溶解在溶剂中，并让它们穿越一个固体，如一张纸或是纯净的硅石。取决于溶剂和使用的固体，有些分子移动得快，有些分子移动得慢；最后纯净的形式可以被完全分离出来。“泽希”（这是别人对他的称呼）对胡萝卜素特别感兴趣，这些大分子给胡萝卜和西红柿染上黄色和红色。胡萝卜素是与非蛋白质结合的分子——同血红蛋白中的毗咯一样，它们具有单键和双键相间的结构——鲍林对它们的结构和色谱法这种有用的工具很感兴趣。尽管韦弗的反应并不热烈，认为这个匈牙利人的知名度太低，难以引来别人的赞助，鲍林还是聘用了泽希。这一决定好坏参半。泽希将色谱法引进美国，并使它成了一种被广泛使用的实验室重要工具。但是他没有什么学术上的雄心壮志，无法同托德日后取得的巨大科学成就相比。 在青年学者方面，韦弗推荐了卡尔·尼曼，一位青年蛋白质化学家，他早在洛克菲勒医学研究院期间就为自己赢得了声誉。鲍林非常喜欢他，也乐意聘用他。接着鲍林竭力建议聘用一对兄弟，R·R·威廉姆斯和R·J·威廉姆斯，他们的研究兴趣包括维生素Ｂ。不过当韦弗表示“不怎么十分满意”时，鲍林退缩了，转而聘用了威廉姆斯兄弟的一个青年合作者埃德温·布克曼来填补第二个空缺。 在担任系主任的一年里，鲍林证明了自己具有惊人的领导才能，而且与诺伊斯的风格截然不同。诺伊斯在幕后默默地团结大家将一个又一个宏伟的计划付诸实施，改变了科学教育的方式，并建立了一个将美国的科学水平提高到世界水平的学院。他是独一无二的国王。鲍林敢于冒险，富有洞察力和创见，更为野心勃勃，自己的科研和形象也极为成功，他将给加州理工学院化学系打上自己的印记。 没有人称鲍林为国王。比较相近的一个称呼是莫斯基1938年从洛克菲勒医学研究院听来的。莫斯基写道：“哦，顺便跟你说一句，那天我和伽瑟（研究院的新任院长）谈论起你。他称你是'怪杰'。我希望你不会感到自己将因此受累。”