卡冈与硤合宪三荣获2026年诺贝尔化学奖Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai Win 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

瑞典皇家科学院在斯德哥尔摩举行的新闻发布会上正式公布了2026年诺贝尔化学奖的评选结果。法国化学家亨利·B·卡冈与日本化学家硤合宪三凭借在不对称有机合成领域的突破性发现共同获此殊荣。评审委员会给出的官方授奖评语明确指出，两人因“在不对称有机合成中发现非线性效应和自动催化”而获奖，该研究不仅确立了基础化学层面的新机制，也为调控分子立体构型提供了关键方法。

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced the winners of the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry at a press conference in Stockholm on Wednesday. French chemist Henri B. Kagan and Japanese chemist Kenso Soai were jointly honored "for the discovery of non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis." The award-giving jury highlighted that their groundbreaking research provided foundational mechanisms for steering chemical reactions and controlling three-dimensional molecular structures.

出生于法国的卡冈现年95岁，长期任职于法国奥赛的巴黎南大学；出生于日本的硤合宪三现年76岁，供职于东京理科大学。按照诺贝尔基金会的规则，两位学者将平分1200万瑞典克朗（约合120万美元或90万英镑）的奖金总额。瑞典皇家科学院确认，他们将于12月10日在斯德哥尔摩举行的传统年度仪式上接受由瑞典国王卡尔十六世·古斯塔夫颁发的诺贝尔奖章与证书。

Kagan, 95, was born in France and remains affiliated with Université Paris-Sud in Orsay, France. Soai, 76, was born in Japan and conducts his research at the Tokyo University of Science. The two laureates will share the total prize sum of 12.0 million Swedish kronor, equivalent to approximately $1.2 million or £900,000. They are scheduled to receive their official Nobel medals and diplomas from King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden during the formal presentation ceremony in Stockholm on December 10.

在有机化学中，“手性”源自希腊语中代表“手”的词汇，用来描述那些互为镜像、外形相似却无法完全重合的分子形态。构成蛋白质的基础单元氨基酸便具有这种对称特性。诺贝尔化学奖委员会主席海纳·林克在发布会上以人手为例解释指出，许多分子存在两种不同的形态，就像左右手一样互为镜像，即便外形高度一致也无法直接叠合，这一基础物理与化学特性构成了生命结构的基础。

In organic chemistry, the property known as chirality derives from the Greek word for hand, describing molecular structures that appear as mirror images of each other yet cannot be superimposed. Amino acid molecules, the fundamental building blocks of proteins, naturally occur in these twin left- and right-handed forms. Explaining the underlying concept at the Stockholm announcement, Nobel Committee for Chemistry Chair Heiner Linke noted that many molecules exist in two distinct versions that resemble human hands—they share an identical layout across a mirror plane, yet one cannot simply be placed directly on top of the other.

然而，地球上的生命体系表现出高度的选择性：构成人体细胞内蛋白质的氨基酸几乎全部采用单一的立体构型，而另一种镜像形态在自然界中极少被发现，这种仅选择单一形态的现象被称为“单一手性”。与自然界的纯粹选择截然不同，化学家在实验室环境中进行常规化学反应时，通常只能获得左手型与右手型各占50%的混合产物。卡冈与硤合宪三的开创性研究，正是成功解释并解决了这一困扰学界上百年的科学谜题，揭示了单一手性如何在自然界中自发产生。

Earth's biological systems, however, display an extreme asymmetry: cellular proteins almost exclusively contain a single mirror-image variant of amino acids, leaving the opposite form exceedingly rare in nature—a phenomenon scientific literature terms homochirality. By contrast, standard chemical synthesis carried out in conventional laboratory conditions typically produces an even 50-50 mixture of both molecular hands. The research conducted by Kagan and Soai resolved this century-old puzzle by demonstrating how chemical systems can spontaneously amplify asymmetry to generate homochirality.

在卡冈与硤合宪三的研究之前，人工控制不对称合成并高效获取特定手性分子一直面临巨大技术瓶颈。两位科学家发现的非线性效应与自动催化机制彻底改变了这一现状。硤合宪三在实验中建立并以其命名的“硤合反应”（Soai reaction），能够通过反应产物自身充当催化剂的方式实现自催化放大，使化学体系在最初仅有极其微微弱的不对称偏差时，自发驱动并大量生成单一形态的目标分子。

Prior to the breakthroughs made by Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai, precisely controlling asymmetric organic reactions in the laboratory posed severe technical challenges. The laureates' discovery of non-linear effects and asymmetric autocatalysis transformed synthetic methodology. In his research, Soai developed what became widely known as the Soai reaction, an autocatalytic chemical process where the reaction product itself acts as a catalyst to amplify minute initial structural imbalances, ultimately driving the synthesis toward the exclusive production of a single target mirror-image form.

评审委员会特别指出，这项合成化学突破对现代制药工业具有决定性作用。在药物制造中，手性分子的两种镜像形态往往具有截然不同的生物学表现，其中一种形态可能具备显著的抗病治疗活性，而另一种镜像形态则可能完全无效，甚至在人体内引发严重的健康损害。通过利用非线性效应和自动催化反应，化学家能够精确设计反应路径，高产率定向制造具备治疗功效的特定分子，并有效避免有害镜像异构体的生成。

The Nobel jury highlighted that these synthetic mechanisms have proved decisive for the global pharmaceutical sector. In drug design and manufacturing, mirror-image variants of chiral molecules frequently behave in drastically different manners when interacting with the human body: while one specific configuration carries therapeutic and disease-fighting properties, the opposite counterpart can remain biologically inert or cause severe physical harm. Harnessing non-linear effects and autocatalysis enables chemists to deliberately guide chemical pathways to generate desired medicinal molecules while excluding harmful isomer variants.

在斯德哥尔摩新闻发布会举行的现场电话连线中，硤合宪三表示获知获奖消息时自己正在外出购物，并将这一天形容为自己人生中最激动的日子之一，同时对能与卡冈共同分享该奖项表达了欣喜之情。

Speaking via phone during the live announcement press conference in Stockholm, Kenso Soai shared that he had been out shopping when he received the notification. Describing the occasion as one of the most exciting days of his life, he expressed his delight at sharing the prestigious recognition with fellow laureate Henri Kagan.

作为诺贝尔奖颁奖周公布的第三个奖项，化学奖紧随此前揭晓的生理学或医学奖与物理学奖之后发布。依据日程安排，本年度文学奖定于周四公布，和平奖将于周五在奥斯陆揭晓，而由瑞典央行资助设立的经济学奖则将在下周一公布，全部六大奖项的颁发将共同组成2026年诺贝尔奖的完整评选周期。

The chemistry award stands as the third honor announced during the annual Nobel week, following the medicine and physics prizes presented on Monday and Tuesday. Under the established schedule, the literature prize will be unveiled on Thursday, followed by the peace prize presentation in Oslo on Friday, and the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences on Monday, completing the full roster of 2026 Nobel accolades.