Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2026

Why in News?

Henri Kagan of France and Kenso Soai of Japan received the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

• They were recognized for their discovery of non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis.
• Their research demonstrates how minor molecular asymmetries can be amplified, thereby elucidating the following phenomena:
  • The production of specific molecular enantiomers.
  • The predominance of a single molecular chirality in biological systems.

• Chirality – A molecule is considered chiral if it can exist in two forms that are non-superimposable mirror images of each other.

• This property is similar to how our hands are mirror images of each other.
  • Left hand
  • Right hand
• These two mirror-image forms are referred to as enantiomers.
• They generally have very similar physical properties in achiral environments but can interact very differently with chiral biological molecules.

Reference

The Hindu | Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2026