Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai win 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Awarded for discovery of non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis; Soai, 95, is one of the oldest laureates.
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." ([marketscreener.com](https://www.marketscreener.com/news/kagan-and-soai-win-2026-nobel-chemistry-prize-ce785dd9d08ef220?utm_source=openai))
"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 developed are spectacular," said Heiner Linke, chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/e92801a294ba29d5ff1fbbf63904c977?utm_source=openai))
The prize recognises work that helps explain how a tiny imbalance in molecular handedness can be amplified into the single-handedness found in biological systems — a question that has long puzzled chemists and researchers studying the origins of life. ([straitstimes.com](https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/kagan-and-soai-win-2026-nobel-chemistry-prize?utm_source=openai))
Key experiments and the "Soai reaction"
The so-called "Soai reaction," named after Kenso Soai, is a landmark example of asymmetric autocatalysis: a process in which a chiral product catalyses its own formation, amplifying a small initial excess of one enantiomer. That mechanism lies at the heart of the research cited by the Nobel Committee. ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soai_reaction?utm_source=openai))
Kenso Soai, aged 95, is among the oldest Nobel laureates to receive the prize. The committee highlighted both his experiments and Kagan's work on non-linear effects in asymmetric synthesis as complementary advances that together explain how homochirality can arise and be amplified. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/e92801a294ba29d5ff1fbbf63904c977?utm_source=openai))
The announcement continues a long tradition of awarding chemistry prizes for discoveries that reshape understanding of molecular behaviour and the chemical origins of life. The laureates will be invited to Stockholm to receive the prize in December, as is customary for Nobel laureates. ([marketscreener.com](https://www.marketscreener.com/news/kagan-and-soai-win-2026-nobel-chemistry-prize-ce785dd9d08ef220?utm_source=openai))
Photo: press material from the event
