Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai win Nobel Prize in chemistry

Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai won the Nobel Prize in chemistry on Wednesday for their discovery of non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced the winner in Stockholm.

The prize money this year is 12 million Swedish kronor (about $1.2 million), whether for an individual, a small group of laureates or an organization.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences will award the Nobel Prize in chemistry Wednesday in Stockholm.

Last year, three scientists won the Nobel Prize in chemistry for their development of new molecular structures that can trap vast quantities of gas inside, laying the groundwork to potentially suck greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere or harvest moisture from desert environments.

A screen displays this year's laureates Henri Kagan of France and Kenso Soai from Japan during the announcement of the winners of the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, Sweden, on Wednesday. AFP

This year's prizes began with the Nobel for medicine, awarded Monday to three scientists whose work led to a tool that uses light to help unravel how the brain works. The physics award Tuesday recognized a scientist's efforts to demystify a rare group of neutrinos.

The literature prize is set to be awarded Thursday. After Friday's peace prize is awarded, the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences will be announced Monday.

The prize money this year is 12 million Swedish kronor (about $1.2 million), whether for an individual, a small group of laureates or an organization.

Associated Press