2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry: Who won this year’s award
Photo: Nobel Prize laureates in Chemistry announced (Getty Images)
On Wednesday, October 7, the Nobel Committee announced the laureates of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
"The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2026 to Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai 'for the discovery of non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis'," the Nobel Prize said on social media.
Photo: 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureates
Last year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureates
Last year, Japanese scientist Susumu Kitagawa, British scientist Richard Robson, and American chemist Omar Yaghi received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for the development of metal-organic frameworks."
In 1989, Richard Robson began his research. He created a crystal resembling a diamond by combining copper ions with special molecules. Although the material proved unstable, the breakthrough paved the way for further research.
Later, Susumu Kitagawa and Omar Yaghi improved their colleague’s method and demonstrated that such structures could be made controllable and stable. They were called metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Their unique molecular structure, featuring large cavities, made it possible to extract water from the air, capture carbon dioxide, and accelerate chemical reactions.
Since then, the Nobel laureates have created thousands of MOFs. Their invention is used to remove harmful substances from water, break down pharmaceutical residues in the environment, capture carbon dioxide, and even obtain water in the desert.
Nobel Prize award ceremony
According to Alfred Nobel’s will, the Nobel Prizes have been awarded for outstanding achievements in science since 1901.
The formal award ceremony takes place on December 10, the anniversary of Nobel’s death. In accordance with his wishes, laureates in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, and literature receive their medals and diplomas in Stockholm. The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo.
Nobel Week 2026
On Monday, October 5, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel "for discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics."
This year’s Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Francis Halzen “for decisive contributions to the creation of the IceCube neutrino observatory.”
By Monday, October 12, the Nobel Committee will announce the laureates of the prizes in literature, peace, and economic sciences.
