Linus Pauling in 1987. CHF Collections Linus Pauling (1901–1994) Born in Oregon, Linus Pauling was one of the first chemists to apply the theories of quantum mechanics to the practical problems of chemistry, developing many of our current ideas of chemical bonding, including resonance, along the way. He was also able to demonstrate that metal atoms were capable of forming covalent bonds (bonds formed by shared pairs of electrons). Turning to biochemistry, Pauling investigated proteins and their structures. His studies on hemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen in the blood, eventually led to his discovering the cause of sickle-cell anemia, which results from a deformity in the shape of hemoglobin molecules. For his work he received the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 1954. Outside the laboratory Pauling was an active campaigner against above-ground testing of nuclear weapons. His efforts helped bring about the 1963 Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Pauling received the Nobel Peace Prize that same year, becoming the only person to have received Nobel Prizes for both chemistry and peace.