Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai Awarded 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai for their discovery of non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis.

The 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry recognises groundbreaking discoveries that have enabled chemists to control chemical reactions in ways that lead to homochirality—a state in which molecules of the same type predominantly exist in one of two possible mirror-image forms.

Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai have provided a solution to a chemical mystery that is over a century old: how homochirality can emerge spontaneously.

Their discoveries have been decisive for chemists who design reactions for the manufacture of pharmaceuticals.

The Nobel recognition highlights the importance of fundamental research in explaining some of chemistry’s most intriguing questions and advancing the field of organic synthesis.