Henri Kagan, Kenso Soai win 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Scientists Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai have been awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry “for the discovery of non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis,” the Nobel Committee announced on Wednesday.

The chemistry prize is the third Nobel awarded during Nobel week, following the prizes in medicine and physics announced on Monday and Tuesday.

The award recognises work involving chirality, a fundamental property of molecules. Many molecules exist in two versions that are mirror images of each other but are not identical, similar to the relationship between a person’s left and right hands.

“So this year’s prize is about foundational chemistry,” said Heiner Linke, chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry, while explaining the significance of the research.

The Nobel prizes were established through the will of Swedish inventor and businessman Alfred Nobel and have been awarded since 1901, with interruptions largely during the world wars. Nobel, a chemist by training, amassed his wealth through inventions, most notably dynamite. The economics prize was established later and is funded by Sweden’s central bank.

Last year’s chemistry Nobel was awarded to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar Yaghi for developing metal-organic frameworks, molecular structures with potential applications in areas including climate change and access to fresh water.

The 2026 chemistry laureates will receive their medals from Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf at a ceremony in Stockholm on December 10, the anniversary of Nobel’s death. The ceremony will be followed by a banquet at Stockholm City Hall.

Kagan and Soai will share the 12 million Swedish kronor prize, worth about $1.2 million.

The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded separately in Oslo and is the only Nobel prize presented outside Sweden.