French and Japanese Researchers Share 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

French chemist Henri Kagan and Japanese chemist Kenso Soai were awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry on Wednesday for their research into asymmetric catalysis.

Their work concerns methods that favour the formation of one molecular arrangement over its mirror image. Such molecules can contain the same atoms yet behave differently, particularly in biological systems.

Asymmetric catalysis helps chemists control which of these mirror-image forms is produced during a chemical reaction. That control is important in fields such as pharmaceutical chemistry, where a molecule’s structure can affect its action in the body.

The shared award recognises Kagan and Soai’s research in a field central to making chemical synthesis more selective.