ALPHA HELIX --- PROTEIN

Linus Pauling began to explore the nature of chemical bond in 1920s using the idea of Quantum Mechanics. He applied techniques developed in physics. He used his model building approach (Lego Building Blocks) to identify the structure of protein molecules. The building blocks being amino acids. He analysed protein molecules through X--ray diffraction. Here substances scatter an applied X-ray and the diffraction pattern provides information about the lattice of atoms. He is credited with the discovery of alpha helical structure of proteins. Linus Pauling was the first to propose the existence of an α helix structure in 1951. The prediction was confirmed when the first three-dimensional structure of a protein, myoglobin was determined by X-ray crystallography.