The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry on Oct. 7 to Henri Kagan of France and Kenso Soai of Japan for research on asymmetric organic synthesis.
Their work on non-linear effects and autocatalysis helped chemists build “mirror-image” molecules more reliably. Those left- and right-handed forms look alike but cannot be superimposed, and controlling which one forms is critical for pharmaceuticals, flavors, scents and materials.
The two share the 12 million Swedish-krona prize. The chemistry award followed the medicine prize for optogenetics and the physics prize for IceCube neutrino work earlier in the week.
Sources: PBS NewsHour, US News America briefing. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
