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2026年诺贝尔化学奖揭示了一个微小的分子偏向如何在反应中不断放大，并帮助解释生命为何偏爱一种镜像形式。

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Two molecules can contain the same atoms yet act differently because their parts face opposite ways. Chemists compare them to left and right hands: they look like mirror images, but one cannot perfectly fit over the other. This feature is called chirality. It matters because living systems often respond to only one molecular form.

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两个分子可以含有相同的原子，却因为组成部分朝向相反而产生不同作用。化学家把它们比作左手和右手：它们看起来互为镜像，却无法完全重合。这种特征叫作手性。它之所以重要，是因为生命系统往往只会对其中一种分子形式作出反应。

On Wednesday, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Henri B. Kagan of France and Kenso Soai of Japan. They were honored for discoveries about non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis. In simpler terms, their work showed how a tiny difference between two mirror forms can become much larger during a chemical reaction.

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星期三，瑞典皇家科学院把2026年诺贝尔化学奖授予法国科学家 Henri B. Kagan 和日本科学家 Kenso Soai。他们因不对称有机合成中的非线性效应与自催化研究获奖。简单来说，他们的工作说明，化学反应中两种镜像形式之间极小的差异可以变得大得多。

Kagan found that the balance of the final products does not always follow the starting balance in a simple way. A small advantage for one form can create a far greater advantage later. This result changed how chemists designed reactions for medicines, flavors, scents and new materials. In these products, choosing the correct molecular form may improve the desired effect or help avoid unwanted effects.

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Kagan 发现，最终产物的比例并不总会以简单方式跟随起始比例。一种形式最初很小的优势，后来可能变成大得多的优势。这一结果改变了化学家为药物、香味、气味和新材料设计反应的方法。在这些产品中，选择正确的分子形式可能增强预期效果，或帮助避免不良影响。

Soai then built an unusual reaction in which the product helps make more of itself. This is autocatalysis. More importantly, the reaction strengthens its own early preference. If one mirror form begins with even a very small lead, later rounds can increase that lead until almost only that form remains. The Nobel committee said this offered a possible answer to a long-standing question: how one molecular form can appear without anyone selecting it at the start.

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Soai 随后构建了一种不同寻常的反应，其中产物会帮助生成更多同类产物。这就是自催化。更重要的是，这种反应会强化自己早期的偏向。如果一种镜像形式起初只有极小的领先，后续多轮反应也能扩大这一领先，直到几乎只剩下这一种形式。诺贝尔委员会表示，这为一个长期问题提供了可能答案：在没有人一开始作出选择的情况下，一种分子形式如何出现。

The finding also connects chemistry with a larger mystery about life. Many important molecules in living things mainly occur in one mirror form. Scientists have long asked how this one-sided pattern first developed. The Soai reaction does not prove how life began, and it is a special laboratory system. However, it provides a clear example of how a weak early difference can grow through repeated reactions.

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这一发现还把化学与有关生命的更大谜题联系起来。生物体内许多重要分子主要以一种镜像形式存在。科学家长期追问这种单一方向的模式最初如何形成。Soai 反应并不能证明生命如何起源，而且它是一个特殊的实验室体系。不过，它清楚展示了微弱的早期差异如何通过反复反应不断扩大。

The prize therefore recognizes more than a useful method. It shows that chemical reactions can carry their own kind of feedback. Kagan explained how small differences can be enlarged, while Soai demonstrated the process in a striking experiment. Together, their work helps chemists understand both practical molecule-making and a basic question about the natural world over time.

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因此，这一奖项认可的不只是一种实用方法。它表明化学反应可以带有自身的反馈机制。Kagan 解释了微小差异如何被放大，Soai 则用一个引人注目的实验展示了这一过程。他们的工作既帮助化学家理解实用的分子制造，也帮助理解一个关于自然世界的基本问题。

新闻来源

• Associated Press — Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai win Nobel Prize in chemistry
• Die Welt — Chemie-Nobelpreis an einen Franzosen und einen Japaner

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