Chemistry Nobel 2026 awarded to Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai
The 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai for their work on non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis. Their research provides a solution to the long-standing scientific mystery of how homochirality emerges in chemical reactions.
Why it matters
Recognizes fundamental advancements in chemical synthesis that have significant implications for pharmaceutical and material science research.
This year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai for the discovery of “non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis”, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced on Wednesday (October 7, 2026).
The statement by the Academy said that the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2026 recognises discoveries that have enabled chemists to drive chemical reactions that lead to homochirality.
“Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai have provided a solution to a chemical mystery that is over a century old: how homochirality can emerge spontaneously. The chemical reactions they have developed are spectacular,” says Heiner Linke, chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry.
Mr. Kagan was born in Boulogne-Billancourt, France, and is associated with the Université Paris-Sud, Orsay, France. Mr. Soai is from Hiroshima, Japan, and is affiliated with the Tokyo University of Science.
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