Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai. File. Source: Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
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.
Last year, the jury honoured Japan’s Susumu Kitagawa, U.K.-born Richard Robson and American-Jordanian Omar Yaghi for developing a method of designing molecular structures. In 2024, David Baker, Demis Hassabis and John Jumper were recognised for thier work on computational protein design and protein structure prediction.
Editorial | Let there be light: On the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine
The announcement of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine kicked off Nobel announcement week, with Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel winning the 2026 prize for discoveries that led to optogenetics, a technique that allows scientists to control select nerve cells using light. The Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Francis Halzen for his contributions to IceCube, a neutrino observatory at the South Pole, and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin.
On Thursday (October 8, 2026), the literature laureate will be revealed, and perhaps the most keenly anticipated award — the peace prize — is due on Friday (October 9, 2026).
The economics prize wraps up the Nobel season on October 12.
Nobel Prize 2026 Winners | Full List
The Nobel consists of a diploma, a gold medal, and a 12-million-kronor ($ 1.2 million) prize, which is shared if there is more than one winner in a discipline.
Published – October 07, 2026 03:22 pm IST
