Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry on Wednesday for their groundbreaking work on non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis. The Nobel Committee for Chemistry praised their solution to a long-standing chemical mystery of how homochirality can emerge spontaneously, calling their developed chemical reactions “spectacular” and crucial for pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Kagan, aged 95 and from France, is associated with Université Paris-Saclay in Orsay, France, while Soai, born in Japan in 1950, conducts research at the Tokyo University of Science. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences revealed the winners in Stockholm, with the prize amounting to 12 million Swedish crowns ($1.7 million Cdn), which they will share.
Their research has been instrumental for chemists designing reactions in pharmaceutical production, aiding in the design and manipulation of reactions to create specific mirror-image outcomes. Soai expressed his excitement upon receiving the news, calling it one of the most thrilling days of his life. He shared that he was shopping near his home when he received the phone call from the Nobel committee.
The Nobel Prize in Literature is scheduled for announcement on Thursday, followed by the peace prize on Friday, and the economics prize on Oct. 12. The awards ceremony for the laureates will take place on Dec. 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death, in accordance with his will to honor those who have made significant contributions benefiting humanity.