Two scientists from France and Japan win Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Image: Collected

Two more scientists have joined the list of prestigious Nobel Laureates. Henri B. Kagan and Kensai Soai have been awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their outstanding contributions to the field.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced the winners from Stockholm, Sweden, on Wednesday afternoon (October 7), Bangladesh time.

According to the official website of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Henri B. Kagan and Kensai Soai were awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for the discovery of non-linear effects and auto-catalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis."

In 2025, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was jointly awarded to Susumu Kitagawa of Japan, Richard Robson of the United Kingdom, and Omar M. Yaghi of Jordan for their development of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs).

Since 1901, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded 116 times. John B. Goodenough became the oldest recipient in this category when he won the award in 2018 at the age of 97. On the other hand, Frédéric Joliot became the youngest chemistry laureate in 1935 at just 35 years old.