CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

PASADENA

GATES AND CRELUN LABORATORIES OF CHEMISTRY 29 June 1962

Mr. Kenneth Snelson

148 Spring Street

New York 12, New York

Dear Mr. Snelson:

When I read. your earlier letter and. manuscript, I did. not realize that you took your ideas about atomic and. molecular structure so seriously.

At the present time the basic theory of atomic and. molecular structure is the theory of quantum mechanics. It is generally believed. that this theory is essentially correct, although it is recognized that there is the possibility of a certain amount of refinement and. an increase in the ease of its application. Every careful application of the theory that has been made so far has been found to be in agreement with experiment.

In this theory the effects of magnetic field due to electron spin and. to orbital motion is taken into consideration.

The electrostatic repulsion between electrons is, of course, an important part of the theory. The theory explains why the electron shells contain a certain number of electrons. This explanation involves the idea of symmetry, but in a more abstruse way than in your discussion. I judge from your letter that you probably know these facts.

If you think that your theory is of value, you have, I believe, the obligation to show its superiority to the accepted. theory. For example, you might discuss particular atom, molecule, or crystal, and point out how your theory succeeds and the accepted. theory fails.

Sincerely yours,

(signed Linus Pauling

Linus Pauling: lh