French and Japanese chemists win 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

French chemist Henri Kagan and Japanese chemist Kenso Soai have won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2026 for their work showing how chemical reactions can amplify small asymmetries in molecules.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said they have been honored “for the discovery of non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis.”Mr. Kagan is a professor emeritus at the former Université Paris-Sud, and Mr. Soai is a professor emeritus at the Tokyo University of Science. They will share the prize equally.