Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2026 to Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai

Henri B. Kagan (Université Paris‑Sud) and Kenso Soai (Tokyo University of Science) received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2026 for "the discovery of non‑linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis." The award addresses how chemical systems can produce homochirality - the dominance of one mirror‑image form of chiral molecules such as amino acids in living organisms - a long‑standing puzzle with major practical importance because only one enantiomer often has the desired biological effect in drugs.

Kagan’s 1986 work uncovered a way to manipulate asymmetric reactions to achieve non‑linear amplification, producing a much greater excess of one enantiomer than previously thought possible. Soai extended that insight by designing (1995) and experimentally demonstrating (2003) an autocatalytic reaction that amplifies a tiny initial imbalance to yield essentially a single enantiomer (the Soai reaction). Together their findings show a plausible chemical route for spontaneous emergence of homochirality and provide concrete principles and methods that have reshaped asymmetric synthesis and pharmaceutical manufacturing. The prize of 12 million Swedish kronor is shared equally.