Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai Win 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2026 has been awarded to Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai. This announcement was made at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, Sweden, on October 7, 2026.

Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai received the prestigious award for their groundbreaking discovery of non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis. Heiner Linke, chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry, emphasized the significance of their work. “Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai have provided a solution to a chemical mystery that is over a century old: how homochirality can emerge spontaneously. The chemical reactions they have developed are spectacular,” he stated in a news release.

Their discoveries have become crucial for chemists designing reactions for pharmaceutical manufacturing. Kagan, who hails from France, is associated with Université Paris-Sud in Orsay, France. Soai, at 95 years old and born in Japan, works with the Tokyo University of Science. The notable “Soai reaction” refers to Soai’s experiment.

The award announcement in Stockholm marks another significant achievement in chemistry. Last year’s chemistry Nobel recognized three scientists for developing molecular structures that can trap large amounts of gas. Such innovations may help remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and collect moisture in arid regions.

The 2026 Nobel Prize distribution began with the medicine award on Monday. It went to scientists for creating a tool using light to explore brain functions. Tuesday’s physics award highlighted a scientist’s progress in understanding a rare group of neutrinos. The literature prize is awaited on Thursday, followed by the peace prize on Friday. Finally, the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences will be revealed on Monday.

This year’s prize money totals 12 million Swedish kronor, equivalent to about $1.2 million. It is shared among individual winners, groups of laureates, or organizations.