The 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai “for the discovery of nonlinear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis.”
Their pioneering research has made a fundamental contribution to our understanding of molecular chirality and our ability to control it.
Through their groundbreaking work on nonlinear effects and asymmetric autocatalysis, Kagan and Soai have opened up new possibilities for the controlled synthesis of chiral molecules, with significant potential applications, particularly in the pharmaceutical field. Their studies on stereochemical control have demonstrated how even a very small initial enantiomeric preference can, under specific conditions, be amplified to become dominant as a reaction progresses.
The Italian Chemical Society (Società Chimica Italiana – SCI) extends its warmest congratulations to Kagan and Soai on this prestigious achievement and proudly recalls that both scientists were previously awarded the Chirality Medal, in 1998 and 2005, respectively.
Established by the SCI in 1991, the Chirality Medal is presented annually by the Chirality Medal Honor Committee, together with the Chirality International Committee, to internationally renowned scientists who have made outstanding contributions to the field of molecular chirality.
- The President of the SCI and Professors Emeriti Domenico Misiti and Francesco Gasparrini, creators of the Chirality Medal.
