Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded to two scientists who solved the mystery of mirror molecules

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2026 was awarded to Henri B. Kagan of France and Kenso Soai of Japan. Scientists solved the mystery of mirror molecules.

This was reported by the press service of the Nobel Committee.

The statement says that some molecules, such as amino acids, exist in two mirror images. However, only one of these molecules is found in living organisms. Thus, the mystery arose: how could such a chemical asymmetry arise?

It is this mystery — homochirality — that scientists have solved. In 1986, Kagan found a way to control chemical reactions so that one mirror form was formed in much greater quantities. Soai took the next step: in 2003, he obtained a reaction in which only one of the two possible forms was formed.

Their discoveries helped explain how chemical asymmetry can arise and have become important to chemists who create medicines. Kaganʼs discoveries are also used in the production of flavors, perfumes, and new materials.

• The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to American neuroscientist Carl Deisseroth and German scientists Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel for their discovery of light-sensitive ion channels and the development of optogenetics.
• The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to American scientist Francis Halzen. He was recognized for his crucial contributions to the “IceCube” observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin.

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