Nobel Prize in Chemistry Awarded for Work on Molecular Asymmetry

Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai have been jointly awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their discovery of non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis, resolving a century-old mystery of how molecules with mirror images can emerge spontaneously. Kagan, 95 and affiliated with Université Paris-Sud, first demonstrated a way to manipulate reactions to produce an excess of one mirror image in 1986. Soai, 76 and with the Tokyo University of Science, designed a reaction in 1995 that, by 2003, formed only one mirror image. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences recognized their work as decisive for the manufacture of pharmaceuticals.

The phenomenon of chirality, molecules existing as mirror images, has long puzzled scientists, as organisms utilize only one form of these molecules. Heiner Linke, chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry, described the duo’s discoveries as a solution to this longstanding chemical mystery and their reactions as “spectacular.”

Last year’s Chemistry Nobel went to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar Yaghi for developing molecular structures that can trap gas. This year’s Nobel Prizes began with the award for medicine, recognizing work on optogenetics, followed by the physics prize for research on neutrinos. The prizes in literature, peace, and economic sciences will be announced in the coming days. The prize money totals 12 million Swedish kronor, approximately $1.2 million.

Where they differ

• The Times of India and Straits Times detailed the specific breakthroughs of both scientists, Kagan’s manipulation of reactions and Soai’s creation of a single-mirror image reaction, while other outlets focused on the broader significance of solving the chirality mystery.
• France24 emphasized Kagan’s French nationality, while the Japan Times highlighted Soai’s Japanese origin.
• The New York Post and NPR both quoted Heiner Linke describing the reactions as ‘spectacular,’ while other sources presented the information without this specific descriptor.

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