Nobel Prize winner Soai delivers lecture in Tokyo about reaction named after him
In his lecture, Kenso Soai discussed the Soai reaction, which led to him winning the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Renowned Japanese scientist Kenso Soai, at the age of 76, delivered a lecture in Tokyo on Tuesday, focusing on his groundbreaking work in the field of chemistry that earned him the Nobel Prize. The Chemical Society of Japan hosted the event, drawing a large audience of around 2,000 attendees, both in-person and online.
Soai's lecture centered around the "Soai reaction," a process that involves a subtle difference between two mirror-image molecular forms - akin to left and right hands - becoming amplified until one form predominates. This reaction was first published in 1990, marking a significant milestone in Soai's research career.
During the Q&A session, Soai expressed his dedication to further research, stating, "I hope to study a wide range of possible causes for the left-right imbalances." In a subsequent news conference, he explained his motivation for delving into these fundamental matters, indicating that he hopes to attend the Nobel Prize award ceremony in Stockholm in December with a positive outlook.
Soai also mentioned his intention to deliver a subsequent lecture in Stockholm, where he plans to discuss his research results while acknowledging the contributions of 19th-century French chemist and microbiologist Louis Pasteur, who also studied molecular asymmetry.
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