Henri B. Kagan, Kenso Soai Win 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Guwahati: The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai for their pioneering work on non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis.

The scientists have been recognised for their contributions to understanding how chemical asymmetry, known as homochirality, could emerge in living organisms.

Many molecules, including amino acids, exist in two mirror-image forms. Although chemical reactions can produce both forms, living organisms predominantly use only one. The origin of this preference has long remained a question for scientists.

Kagan made a major breakthrough in 1986 by developing a method to influence chemical reactions and produce a greater excess of one mirror-image molecule than previously thought possible.

Soai later built on this work. In 1995, he reported a chemical reaction capable of producing a homochiral outcome and, in 2003, demonstrated a reaction in which only one of two possible mirror-image molecules was formed.

Their discoveries have provided important insights into the emergence of homochirality and advanced the field of asymmetric synthesis.

The work is particularly significant for pharmaceutical research, where the two mirror-image forms of a molecule can have very different biological effects. The ability to selectively produce one form is therefore crucial in developing and manufacturing medicines.

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