{
  "id": 12602495,
  "title": "Auszeichnungen: Chemie-Nobelpreis an einen Franzosen und einen Japaner",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/auszeichnungen-chemie-nobelpreis-an-einen-franzosen-und-einen-japaner",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-07T09:56:29.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Handelsblatt",
    "slug": "handelsblatt",
    "url": "https://www.handelsblatt.com/technik/forschung-innovation/auszeichnungen-chemie-nobelpreis-an-einen-franzosen-und-einen-japaner/100260398.html"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "The 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to French scientist Henri Kagan and Japanese researcher Kenso Soai for their discovery of non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm announced the winners. Their discoveries have been crucial for chemists developing foundations for creating medications. Some molecules, such as amino acids, exist in two mirror-image forms; however, living organisms only contain one of these forms. The mechanism behind the emergence of this chemical asymmetry has been a mystery to chemists for a long time. Consequently, Kagan and Soai were awarded the prestigious prize. The Nobel Prize in Chemistry is currently worth 12 million Swedish Kronor, equivalent to approximately one million Euros. The Nobel Foundation increased the prize money recently by a million Kronor. This year's celebration marks the 125th anniversary of the Nobel Prize. In this special occasion, for the first time in the history of the foundation, the names of the laureates in Physics, Chemistry, and Economic Sciences will be announced by a woman. Ellen Moons, a native Belgian, took up the position of General Secretary of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (KVA) in Stockholm as of the start of 2026, becoming the first woman to hold this position since the academy's founding in 1739. Last year, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to material scientists Susumu Kitagawa from Japan, Richard Robson from Australia, and Omar Yaghi from the USA for developing metal-organic framework compounds. These molecular structures with large pores can be utilized to extract water from desert air, remove carbon dioxide, store poisonous gases, or catalyze chemical reactions. Since its inception in 1901, the Chemistry Nobel Prize has been awarded to 198 different researchers, with two individuals receiving it twice. So far, eight women have been laureates in this category, including Marie Curie in 1911 for discovering the radioactive elements polonium and radium, and Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna in 2020 for developing a gene-editing technology. Two Germans were also awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine this year: Peter Hegemann from the Humboldt-University Berlin and Karl Deisseroth from the United States, for their discoveries in optogenetics. Optogenetics allows precise activation and inhibition of cells using light, enabling researchers to understand how brain cells shape memories, emotions, and behaviors. The Physics Nobel Prize was awarded to Francis Halzen, a Belgian-American researcher from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, for significant contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. Located in a cubic kilometer of glacial ice in Antarctica, this facility detects high-energy cosmic neutrinos.",
  "summary": "Am Montag wurde der Medizin-Nobelpreis zwei Deutschen und einem US-Amerikaner zuerkannt. Beim Physik-Nobelpreis folgte ein belgisch-amerikanischer Forscher. Nun steht auch der Preis für Chemie fest.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Handelsblatt",
        "title": "Auszeichnung: Chemie-Nobelpreis an einen Franzosen und einen Japaner",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/auszeichnung-chemie-nobelpreis-an-einen-franzosen-und-einen-japaner",
        "published": "2026-10-07T09:57:39.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}