Henri B. Kagan of France and Kenso Soai of Japan have jointly won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for solving a century-old mystery through the discovery of non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, Sweden, announced the names of the laureates today.

According to the Nobel Committee, certain molecules in the living world, such as amino acids, exist in two variants that are mirror images of each other, a phenomenon known as "homochirality" in chemistry.

Although these molecules have two mirrored forms like human hands, only one form is found in the cells or proteins of living organisms, while the other is rare in nature.

Previously, when chemists attempted to produce drugs or other chemicals artificially in laboratories, they always obtained equal proportions of both mirror images, which did not produce the desired therapeutic effect.

How this chemical asymmetry or the dominance of a single form emerged spontaneously in nature had long been a mystery to scientists.

Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai solved this puzzle through their groundbreaking discoveries.

Heiner Linke, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry, said, "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."

Scientist Henri Kagan took the first decisive step toward solving this mystery in 1986. He discovered a new method of manipulating chemical reactions, which allowed him to create a much greater excess of one specific mirror image than had previously been thought possible.

Following this, Kenso Soai designed a chemical reaction in 1995 that had the potential to be homochiral and finally succeeded in 2003.

He presented a reaction in which only one of the two possible mirror images was formed. No one had previously achieved this feat in a laboratory outside of life itself.

Their discoveries have been decisive for chemists designing reactions for the manufacture of pharmaceuticals.

This year, the laureates will receive a certificate, a medal, and the prize money, which will be shared equally between them.

Professor Henri Kagan is considered one of the leading pioneers of asymmetric catalysis in organic chemistry. Born in France on December 15, 1930, the scientist completed his education at the Sorbonne University and the École nationale supérieure de chimie de Paris.

He served as a professor at the University of Paris-Sud (Orsay) for nearly 40 years and is currently an Emeritus Professor there. In 1986, his discovery of "non-linear effects" in asymmetric catalysis revolutionized the pharmaceutical industry. He has been honored with numerous international awards, including the Wolf Prize and the Benjamin Franklin Medal.

Professor Kenso Soai is a world-renowned Japanese organic chemist. Born in 1950, the scientist earned his PhD in organic synthesis from the University of Tokyo in 1979. He joined the Tokyo University of Science in 1981, where he currently serves as a Professor in the Department of Applied Chemistry.

In 1995, he discovered an unforgettable reaction in the history of chemistry, widely known as the "Soai Reaction."

In 2003, his laboratory reaction became the first to successfully achieve homochirality artificially outside of nature. He has received the Medal with Purple Ribbon from the Government of Japan and the Japan Academy Prize.

Since its inception in 1901, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded 118 times up to 2026. The prize could not be awarded in some years, including during World War I and World War II.

With the two new scientists in 2026, the total number of Nobel laureates in chemistry has reached 202.

In the history of science, only two scientists have won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry twice. They are Frederick Sanger (1958 and 1980) and K. Barry Sharpless (2001 and 2022). Additionally, the legendary scientist Marie Curie won Nobel Prizes in two different fields-Physics in 1903 and Chemistry in 1911.

Dutch scientist Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff won the first Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1901 for his discoveries of chemical dynamics and osmotic pressure in solutions, laying the foundation of modern chemistry.

In 2025, Susumu Kitagawa of Japan, Richard Robson of the UK/Australia, and Omar M. Yaghi of Jordan/USA jointly won the prize for their pioneering technology in creating Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs).

The record for the youngest Nobel laureate in chemistry is held by French scientist Frédéric Joliot-Curie. In 1935, at the age of just 35, he won the prize jointly with his wife, IrSne Joliot-Curie, for their discovery of artificial radioactivity.

John B. Goodenough holds the unique record for being the oldest person ever to receive a Nobel Prize, not just in chemistry but in Nobel history.

In 2019, he received the Nobel Prize at the age of 97 for his foundational contributions to the development of lithium-ion batteries.

To date, a total of 8 women have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, with Marie Curie (1911) being the first on this list.

In accordance with tradition, the medals, diplomas, and prize money will be presented to the two new chemistry laureates at a grand ceremony in Stockholm on December 10, the death anniversary of Alfred Nobel.