In biochemistry, the ''Corey-Pauling rules'' are a set of three basic statements that govern the secondary nature of proteins, in particular, the CO-NH peptide link. They were originally proposed by

Robert Corey Robert Brainard 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 we ...

and

Linus Pauling Linus Carl Pauling (; February 28, 1901August 19, 1994) was an American chemist, biochemist, chemical engineer, peace activist, author, and educator. He published more than 1,200 papers and books, of which about 850 dealt with scientific top ...

. The rules are as follows: #The atoms in a peptide link all lie on the same plane. #The nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms in a hydrogen bond are approximately in a straight line. #The carbon-oxygen and nitrogen-hydrogen groups are all involved in bonding.

References

{{reflist Molecular geometry