Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry on Wednesday for their breakthrough in non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis. Heiner Linke, chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry, praised their solution to the age-old mystery of homochirality emergence, stating that the chemical reactions they developed are remarkable and have significantly impacted pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Kagan, a 95-year-old French national affiliated with Université Paris-Saclay in Orsay, France, and Soai, born in Japan in 1950, conducting research at the Tokyo University of Science, were announced as the winners by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm. The prestigious award comes with a prize totaling 12 million Swedish crowns ($1.7 million Cdn).
The groundbreaking work of Kagan and Soai has enabled chemists to steer chemical reactions towards producing specific mirror-image molecules, a critical advancement in pharmaceutical production. Soai expressed his excitement upon receiving the news, describing it as one of the most thrilling moments of his life. He recounted being informed of the award while out shopping near his residence.
The Nobel Prize in Literature is scheduled to be revealed on Thursday, followed by the peace prize on Friday, and the economics prize on Oct. 12. The laureates will officially receive their Nobel prizes on Dec. 10, in accordance with Alfred Nobel’s will, which designated the establishment of prizes to honor those who have made significant contributions to humanity.