Why did Ernest Rutherford receive the 1908 Nobel Prize in Chemistry?

Ernest Rutherford was awarded the 1908 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his investigations into the disintegration of the elements and the chemistry of radioactive substances.1

His recognition was primarily based on the transformation theory, or disintegration theory, which he developed alongside Frederick Soddy between 1902 and 1903. This groundbreaking work provided an explanation for radioactivity, asserting that the energy of radioactive emissions originated from within the atom and that the spontaneous emission of alpha or beta particles signified a chemical change from one element into another. This theory challenged the long-held belief that atoms were stable and indivisible, fundamentally altering the scientific understanding of matter.2