Nobel Prize in Chemistry Awarded to French and Japanese Scientists for 'Asymmetric Catalysis' Research

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded on Wednesday to the French scientist Henri Kagan and the Japanese scientist Kenso Soai for their research on what is known as asymmetric catalysis. The Nobel Committee justified awarding the two researchers the prize by stating that “their discoveries have played a crucial role for chemists who design reactions tailored to the production of pharmaceutical products.”