Chemistry Nobel Rewards Work on Mirror-Image Molecules

Henri B. Kagan of Université Paris-Sud and Kenso Soai of Tokyo University of Science won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, announced 7 October 2026 by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. The prize cites Kagan's 1986 work on non-linear effects, where small imbalances yield larger enantiomeric enrichment, and Soai's 1995-2003 autocatalysis in asymmetric synthesis that produces homochiral, single-handed molecules.