College Chemistry by Linus Pauling

Thanks Amy!!!  What a gift!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Wikipedia says about Linus Pauling:

Linus Carl Pauling (February 28, 1901 – August 19, 1994) was an American scientist, peace activist, author and educator. He was one of the most influential chemists in history and ranks among the most important scientists in any field of the 20th century. Pauling was among the first scientists to work in the fields of quantum chemistry, molecular biology and orthomolecular medicine. He is one of a small number of individuals to have been awarded more than one Nobel Prize, one of only two people to receive them in different fields (the other was Marie Curie) and the only person in that group to have been awarded each of his prizes without sharing it with another recipient.[1] Pauling was born and raised in Oregon. He attended Oregon Agricultural College (now Oregon State University) and graduated in 1922 with a degree in chemical engineering. Pauling then went to the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), where he received his Ph. D in physical chemistry and mathematical physics in 1925. Two years later, he accepted a position at Caltech as an assistant professor in theoretical chemistry. In 1932, Pauling published a landmark paper, detailing his theory of orbital hybridization and analyzed the tetravalency of carbon. That year, he also established the concept of electronegativity and developed a scale that would help predict the nature of chemical bonding. Pauling continued this work, but also began publishing papers on the structure of the atomic nucleus. In 1954, Pauling was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. As a biochemist, Pauling conducted research with X-ray crystallography and modeling in crystal and protein structures. This type of approach was used by scientists in the U.K to discover the double helix structure of the DNA molecule.

You can also read a short Pauling biography at Oregon State University. See also the entry on Linus Pauling at Answers.com. Linus Pauling Online has numerous Pauling papers and detailed descriptions of some of his research. How beautiful are these pages from College Chemistry by Pauling:

The book shows how to make hydrogen, oxygen, hydrogen chloride, hydrochloric acid. Beautiful…