Nobel prizes 2026
The most anticipated prize in the scientific calendar is here. Find predictions, discussion and the latest news below.
How asymmetric autocatalysis won the Nobel prize
Mason Wakley tells the full story of how Henri Kagan and Kensō Soai’s work on non-linear effects and asymmetric autocatalysis won the 2026 Nobel prize in chemistry
Explainer: what are autocatalysis and non-linear effects and why have they won the 2026 Nobel prize in chemistry?
Reactions that demonstrate how homochirality can emerge take chemistry Nobel prize
The Nobel prize in chemistry 2026 as it happens – Live
High-energy neutrino detection captures Nobel prize in physics
Discovery of light-activated proteins and their application in neuroscience wins Nobel prize in medicine
How are the winners of the Nobel prizes chosen?
Fifty years after he won the Nobel, Lipscomb’s insights into boranes continue to pay dividends
Nobel prize in chemistry 2026: predictions
Latest
Podcast
Waterproof white inspired by nature & low-stakes mistakes
How can structural colour provide an alternative for pigments, chemicals and their environmental cost? And the Chemistry World team discusses their low-stakes mistakes.
Feature
How asymmetric autocatalysis won the Nobel prize
Mason Wakley tells the full story of how Henri Kagan and Kensō Soai’s work on non-linear effects and asymmetric autocatalysis won the 2026 Nobel prize in chemistry
Feature
NMR spectroscopy from its origins to hyperpolarisation and beyond
From Richard Ernst’s Nobel prize-winning techniques to hyperpolarisation and in-situ battery analysis, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy continues to reinvent itself
Opinion
The Chemistry World team shares some of its low-stakes mistakes
Have you ever made a typo, broken some equipment or made a general slip-up? Get in touch and tell us about some of your own low-stakes mistakes.
Research
Multivariate MOFs make the case for embracing complexity
Frameworks built from multiple different metals and ligands are expanding the possibilities for materials that can do many things at once
Research
Can we predict what happens in a molecular movie?
A seemingly impossible challenge revealed how close theorists are to truly predicting the future in computational photochemistry
Microsoft’s split-personality retrosynthetic AI is a fast learner
Retrochimera combines two deep learning algorithms from different classes, outperforming their individual success rates on datasets from Novartis and GSK
Skeletal editing step forward as carbon atoms swapped for nitrogen by embracing unreactive radical intermediate
The reaction’s mild conditions could aid editing of sensitive natural products
Lunar samples returned by China’s Chang’e 6 mission contain rare, highly magnetic iron allotrope
Two accidental nitroalkane reactions reveal complementary photochemical routes to alkenes and unite their discoverers
AI helps chemists consider more options when it comes to picking the best reactants for an experiment
Tagging AI-generated proteins during design process will let scientists know who made them
Tool flags ‘lurking menace’ isomers before they become an expensive problem for drug developers
Fifty years after he won the Nobel, Lipscomb’s insights into boranes continue to pay dividends
Batteries that break down in the body could power ingestible medical devices
Syngenta plans to close Grangemouth manufacturing site
Shutting export-focused pesticide plant would cut 377 jobs
Merck & Co’s US antibiotic withdrawal sends the wrong signals for combating resistance
Loss of last-resort combination Recarbrio reignites questions on how to pay for crucial but rarely-used drugs
A Nobel for chiral catalysts’ helping hand
Novo goes on deal spree amid semaglutide patent expiries
Sanctions, regulation and prices restrict access to medicines
US watchdog calls for voluntary replacement for expired chemical plant security programme
Tool flags ‘lurking menace’ isomers before they become an expensive problem for drug developers
Industry-sponsored study concludes recycling initiatives outperform cap on virgin plastic production
300MW electrolyser construction starts off Spanish ‘hydrogen valley’
What’s it like to be the first person privy to Nobel-worthy work?
As Philip Ball, handling editor of Kensō Soai’s 1995 paper reveals, sometimes you’re oblivious to it
Sanctions, regulation and prices restrict access to medicines
Having medicines available when we need them is a privilege, but access more globally is complex and relies on sometimes fragile supply systems.
Scientists must be trained to work without AI, as well as working with it
As AI and autonomous labs become more capable, human reasoning must be preserved
Susumu Kitagawa: ‘I tell my students three words: luck, stubbornness and perseverance’
The winner of the 2025 Nobel prize in chemistry on books, porous materials and his mantra for success
Autocatalytic networks could lie at the beginning of evolution
New modelling suggests how compartmentalised cross-catalysing networks can evolve adaptations that are passed on through chemical states
From preservative to poison
New concerns have arisen about a chemical’s deliberate misuse
Ineos temporarily closes UK acetyls plants
Owing to high high gas prices, the plants are uncompetitive, despite their high efficiency
Feeding AI’s appetite for data
Tapping companies’ archives makes for better predictions of how proteins bind drugs, but any data inputs need to be transparent and attributed
Where art meets chemistry: the science of communicating science
Join us on 4 November to explore how creativity can change the way we share science
El Agente: ask me anything! A live demonstration
Join us as we tackle your chemistry challenges live with the El Agente team on 24 November
Nobel prize in chemistry 2026: Reaction
Join us for an exclusive look at the science behind the Nobel prize in chemistry 2026
Boron: in search of the real fifth element
What makes boron so extraordinary? Find out on 21 October with author Stephen Mansell
Waterproof white inspired by nature & low-stakes mistakes
How can structural colour provide an alternative for pigments, chemicals and their environmental cost? And the Chemistry World team discusses their low-stakes mistakes.
Nobel prize in chemistry 2026: predictions
We discuss our picks for this year’s chemistry Nobel prize. Plus, are there certain traits that make a Nobel laureate?
Drugging the ‘undruggable’ cancer proteins & conserving the Bayeux Tapestry
How did molecular glues help crack one of cancer’s toughest targets? And we explore the chemistry behind the investigation and conservation of the Bayeux Tapestry.
Advances in CAR-T cancer therapy & carbon materials’ hidden defects
What does recent success with bladder tumours mean for solid cancer treatment? And we discuss why scientists are rethinking how they assign peaks in spectra of carbon-based materials.
Feature
How asymmetric autocatalysis won the Nobel prize
Mason Wakley tells the full story of how Henri Kagan and Kensō Soai’s work on non-linear effects and asymmetric autocatalysis won the 2026 Nobel prize in chemistry
Podcast
Waterproof white inspired by nature & low-stakes mistakes
How can structural colour provide an alternative for pigments, chemicals and their environmental cost? And the Chemistry World team discusses their low-stakes mistakes.
News
Neurodiverse students use different strategies to reason through chemistry problems
Greater understanding of the challenges these learners face could lead to new strategies to help them in areas where they are weaker
Opinion
What’s it like to be the first person privy to Nobel-worthy work?
As Philip Ball, handling editor of Kensō Soai’s 1995 paper reveals, sometimes you’re oblivious to it
Business
Syngenta plans to close Grangemouth manufacturing site
Shutting export-focused pesticide plant would cut 377 jobs
Sponsored
Scientists must be trained to work without AI, as well as working with it
As AI and autonomous labs become more capable, human reasoning must be preserved
The scientists who will power our future
Calling in the next generation of scientists from all backgrounds to address the energy crisis and build the next generation of batteries.
Advantages of monodisperse PEG in drug development
Precision matters: why monodisperse PEG is transforming drug development.
Karl Fischer titration for moisture analysis: applications in batteries, fuels and food
Accurate moisture analysis has consequences that extend well beyond the laboratory. Karl Fischer titration is what keeps them in check. The question is whether the reagent is up to the task.
Why data visualisation is so important in the age of AI
Machines don’t need to draw charts and plots to work with data, but humans will still need datavis skills to work with machines.
Pittcon 2026 heads to San Antonio for analytical chemistry showcase
The world’s largest laboratory science conference returns to San Antonio in March 2026, featuring Nobel laureate Frances Arnold as keynote speaker and showcasing cutting-edge analytical instrumentation across five days of technical sessions and networking events.
Biphenyl: 20 years of Restek innovation
How Restek’s Biphenyl column changed chromatography
Explainer: the Welch Award in Chemistry
Many people have never heard about one of the biggest awards in chemistry. Chemistry World sets the record straight.
Waterproof white inspired by nature & low-stakes mistakes
How can structural colour provide an alternative for pigments, chemicals and their environmental cost? And the Chemistry World team discusses their low-stakes mistakes.
The PhD to biotech series: Translating an academic profile into an industry narrative
In the third article of the series, Matteo Tardelli explains how to present academic experience in a way that appeals to hiring managers in biotech
How to make the most of tutorials
Five tips to boost your learning experience
How to tutor students
Five tips to enhance the support you provide
Susumu Kitagawa: ‘I tell my students three words: luck, stubbornness and perseverance’
The PhD to biotech series: Understanding the biotech landscape and where you fit
The PhD to biotech series: Clarifying your direction before you leave academia
Making low-stakes mistakes is how we learn
The Chemistry World team shares some of its low-stakes mistakes
Finding brightness in the depth of power cuts