Cercetătorii Henri Kagan și Kenso Soai au câștigat Premiul Nobel pentru Chimie 2026

The 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai for their groundbreaking work on nonlinear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis. Their research addresses the long-standing question of how homochirality arises spontaneously, a key property in the chemistry of life. Kagan's early work in 1986 introduced a method to favor one chiral form over another, while Soai's 2003 discovery demonstrated a reaction producing only one chiral variant. Their findings have significant implications for pharmaceutical development, as different chiral forms can have distinct biological effects. The prize, amounting to 12 million Swedish kronor, recognizes their contributions to understanding and controlling molecular orientation.