Henri Kagan, Kenso Soai win chemistry Nobel for ‘mirror image’ breakthrough

What the report says

French chemist Henri Kagan and Japanese chemist Kenso Soai have won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, according to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm on October 7, 2026. Al Jazeera reported that the award recognizes their work on nonlinear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis, which helped explain how chemical reactions can be guided toward one mirror-image form of a molecule.

The prize highlights a long-standing problem in chemistry involving “mirror image” molecules, or chiral compounds, that exist in two forms like left and right hands. The Academy said the researchers’ findings helped solve a century-old puzzle about how one version can become dominant. That matters because many medicines depend on making the correct molecular form, since different versions of the same compound can have different effects in the body.

Kagan is 95 and based in France, while Soai is 76 and based in Japan. During the announcement, Nobel Committee members said the work gave chemists useful tools for designing selective reactions. Soai told the news conference by phone that he learned of the award while shopping and said he was happy to share it with Kagan.

The chemistry prize is the third Nobel announced each year, after medicine and physics. More broadly, the Nobel awards recognize achievements in science, literature and peace and have been presented since 1901.