The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1986

Dudley R. Herschbach

Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.

Prize share: 1/3

Yuan T. Lee

Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.

Prize share: 1/3

John C. Polanyi

Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.

Prize share: 1/3

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1986 was awarded jointly to Dudley R. Herschbach, Yuan T. Lee and John C. Polanyi "for their contributions concerning the dynamics of chemical elementary processes."

To cite this section
MLA style: The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1986. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2021. Fri. 26 Nov 2021. <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/1986/summary/>

Back to top Back To Top Takes users back to the top of the page

Learn more

Nobel Prizes 2021

Thirteen laureates were awarded a Nobel Prize in 2021, for achievements that have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind.

Their work and discoveries range from the Earth’s climate and our sense of touch to efforts to safeguard freedom of expression.

See them all presented here.
Nobel Prizes 2021

Explore prizes and laureates

Look for popular awards and laureates in different fields, and discover the history of the Nobel Prize.