The Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to Henri B. Kagan of Université Paris-Sud, France and Kenso Soai Tokyo University of Science, Japan “for the discovery of non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis.” I have no idea what any of those words mean, but the further explanations of their achievements sound pretty cool.
“Henri Kagan discovered a new way of manipulating chemical reactions, allowing a greater excess of one of the mirror images to be created than was previously assumed possible. His discovery has been revolutionary for chemists who develop reactions for the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, flavours, scents and new materials.
“Kenso Soai designed the first chemical reaction in which only one of the potential mirror images was formed. Other than life itself, no one had ever achieved this feat. The Soai reaction is one of the most spectacular chemical experiments ever conducted.”
Tomorrow: Literature!
