Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai Awarded 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry -

Scientists Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai have been awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work on non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis, the Nobel Prize committee announced on Wednesday.

The chemistry prize is the third Nobel award announced during this year’s Nobel week, following the medicine and physics prizes announced on Monday and Tuesday.

The committee said the scientists’ work addresses a fundamental aspect of chemistry involving chiral molecules, which exist in two forms that are mirror images of each other but are not identical. The concept can be compared to the human hands, which look similar but cannot be perfectly superimposed.

The Nobel Prizes, established through the will of Swedish inventor and businessman Alfred Nobel, have been awarded since 1901 for achievements in science, literature and peace, with interruptions largely caused by the two world wars. Nobel, a chemist and inventor, accumulated much of his fortune through inventions including dynamite.

Chemistry Nobel laureates have over the years been recognised for discoveries that have had a major impact on science, including nuclear fission and advances in genetic sequencing. Last year, the chemistry prize was awarded to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar Yaghi for developing metal-organic frameworks, structures with potential applications in areas including climate change and water scarcity.

Kagan and Soai will receive their Nobel medals from Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf at a ceremony in Stockholm on December 10, the anniversary of Nobel’s death. They will also share prize money of 12 million Swedish crowns, worth about $1.2 million.

The Nobel Peace Prize is presented separately in Oslo, Norway, while the other Nobel awards are traditionally presented in Sweden. – ERMD

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