Kenso Soai
born 1950 · Japan · Born 1940 or later
Nobel Chemistry 2026
Japanese organic chemist who developed asymmetric autocatalysis: the chiral product catalyses its own formation, and a small initial enantiomeric imbalance can be amplified. Awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Henri B. Kagan.
Nobel-winning work
Soai developed asymmetric autocatalysis in which a chiral pyrimidyl alkanol product forms an active aggregated organozinc catalyst that promotes formation of more of the same enantiomer. The reaction can amplify a minute initial enantiomeric excess, although the detailed catalyst speciation is complex.