Robert B. Corey

Robert B. Corey (August 19, 1897 – April 23, 1971) was an American biochemist, mostly known for his role in discovery of the α-helix and the β-sheet with Linus Pauling. Also working with Pauling was Herman Branson. Their discoveries were remarkably correct, with even the bond lengths being accurate until about 40 years later. The α-helix and β-sheet are two structures that are now known to form the backbones of many proteins.

Academic training A childhood polio survivor, Corey received his undergraduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh, and his Ph.D. in chemistry from Cornell University.

The findings of α-helix and β-sheet At Caltech, the trio (Pauling, Corey and Branson) published a series of articles in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The most revolutionary of the articles in PNAS is the one written on February 28, 1951.