Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai awarded 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for work on molecular mirror images

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced that French chemist Henri B. Kagan, professor emeritus at Université Paris‑Sud, and Japanese researcher Kenso Soai, professor emeritus at Tokyo University of Science, are the 2026 Nobel laureates in Chemistry. Their research explored non‑linear effects in asymmetric catalysis and demonstrated an autocatalytic reaction that can generate a single enantiomeric form. Kagan’s 1986 breakthrough showed how a partially enantiopure catalyst can amplify one handedness, while Soai’s work from the mid‑1990s to 2003 produced a reaction that self‑amplifies to a homochiral mixture.

The award coincides with the 125th anniversary of the Nobel Prizes and carries a prize of twelve million Swedish crowns per category. Both scientists are in their 90s and 70s, respectively, and continue to be recognized for their contributions to chiral chemistry.