The 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to French scientist Henri Kagan and Japanese researcher Kenso Soai for their groundbreaking studies on nonlinear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis. The announcement was made in Stockholm by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
The two scientists were recognized for their research that has helped explain how, during certain chemical reactions, one mirror image of a molecule can become dominant over the other.
This phenomenon involves chirality, a property where molecules can exist in two mirror-image forms, known as enantiomers, similar to right and left hands: they have the same composition but are not superimposable. This difference is crucial in pharmaceuticals, as the two mirror forms of the same molecule can have different biological effects.
Kagan and Soai's research also advanced the study of homochirality, a fundamental characteristic of living organisms, where certain biological molecules predominantly exist in one configuration.
In 1986, Kagan demonstrated that under specific conditions, an impure catalyst could produce a product with much higher enantiomeric purity than expected. This phenomenon, known as asymmetric amplification, is one of the nonlinear effects highlighted in the Nobel citation.
Soai further developed this research area. In 1995, he described in Nature an autocatalytic reaction where the reaction product itself acted as a catalyst, progressively amplifying an initial slight excess of one enantiomer. By 2003, he achieved a reaction capable of producing only one of the two mirror-image forms.
According to the Nobel Committee, these findings have played a significant role in developing new methods of organic synthesis, with applications in drug design and production.
Kagan, aged 95, is an emeritus professor at the University of Paris-Sud and is regarded as a pioneer in asymmetric synthesis. This recognition comes 25 years after the 2001 Chemistry Nobel was awarded to William Knowles, Ryoji Noyori, and Barry Sharpless for studies on asymmetric catalysis, an event that sparked discussions in the scientific community due to Kagan's exclusion.
Soai, 76, born in Hiroshima, is an emeritus professor at Tokyo University of Science. Both scientists had previously received the Chirality Medal from the Italian Chemical Society: Kagan in 1998 and Soai in 2005.
This Chemistry award is the third Nobel announced this week. In 2025, the prize was given to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson, and Omar Yaghi for their development of metal-organic frameworks, known as MOFs.
(Associated Medias) - All rights reserved