Key facts
- Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
- The prize was awarded for their discovery of non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis.
- Kagan is affiliated with Universite Paris-Sud in France.
- Soai is affiliated with the Tokyo University of Science in Japan.
- Their discoveries explain how chemical asymmetry, or homochirality, can emerge spontaneously.
- Kagan's 1986 discovery allowed for a greater excess of one mirror image molecule.
Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai have been awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their pioneering work on non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced the award in Stockholm, recognizing their contribution to solving the long-standing mystery of how chemical asymmetry, known as homochirality, can emerge spontaneously.
Life's chemistry is characterized by homochirality, where molecules exist as only one of two mirror-image variants, similar to how hands are mirror images but not identical. For decades, chemists struggled to understand how this asymmetry arises, as typical chemical reactions produced equal amounts of both mirror images. The ability to produce a single enantiomer is crucial for developing pharmaceuticals, where only one form typically has the desired effect.
Henri Kagan took a significant step in 1986 by discovering a new method to manipulate chemical reactions, allowing for a greater excess of one mirror image than previously thought possible. Kenso Soai further advanced this research, publishing a seminal paper in 1995 on the first chemical reaction with the potential for homochirality. In 2003, Soai successfully demonstrated a reaction that produced only one of the two possible mirror images, a feat previously unmatched outside of life itself.
Their discoveries have provided chemists with a fundamental understanding of how homochirality can emerge, proving crucial for the design of reactions used in the manufacture of medicines. The prize fund totals 12 million Swedish kronor (approximately 1.06 million euros).