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Kagan and Soai win chemistry Nobel
Their work gave chemists ways to steer reactions toward one of two mirror-image molecular forms.
What happened
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry to French chemist Henri B. Kagan and Japanese chemist Kenso Soai. It recognized their discoveries of nonlinear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis, which explain how reactions can favor one molecular mirror form.
Numbers
- 12 million kronorTotal prize shared by laureates — Swedish kronor
- 2 molecular formsMirror versions of some molecules — Like left and right hands
- Over 100 yearsAge of the chemistry puzzle — On life’s molecular preference
Questions
- What does molecular chirality mean?
- It describes molecules with matching compositions but non-superimposable left- and right-handed forms, comparable to human hands.
- What did Kagan’s research show?
- His 1980s work showed reactions could be designed to favor one form, challenging expectations that mirror forms would remain balanced.
- How did Soai advance the method?
- He developed the first reaction that efficiently produces only one molecular mirror image, using a process now called autocatalysis.
- Why does selecting one form matter?
- Different mirror forms can behave differently in the body, so selecting one can help develop medicines and other chemical products.
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The catch
The articles do not specify how the prize money will be split between them.
The award is shared.