Science · Stockholm, Sweden · October 8, 2026

Kagan and Soai win Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Reported by 1 outlet · under-reported · first reported Oct 6, 8:00 PM ET

French chemist Henri B. Kagan and Japanese chemist Kensō Soai shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. They were honoured for discovering non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis.

Why it matters

Asymmetric synthesis underpins the production of many drugs that require a specific molecular 'handedness'.

Background

Many molecules exist in mirror-image forms that can behave very differently in the body. Kagan is at Paris-Saclay University and Soai at Tokyo University of Science.

The story so far

1. Oct 6Nobel Prize in Medicine awarded for optogenetics
2. Oct 7Kagan and Soai share Nobel Prize in Chemistry
3. Oct 8Kagan and Soai win Nobel Prize in Chemistry
4. Oct 9Navi Pillay wins Nobel Peace Prize
5. Oct 10Navi Pillay awarded Nobel Peace Prize

Follow the whole story →

Sources

• Reuters ↗October 7, 2026

This summary was written automatically from the reporting linked above; follow the sources for the full story. How One Turn works.

See it on the globe →All of Oct 8's stories