Ceremonial session dedicated to Academician Vukić M. Mićović

On the occasion of 125 years since the birth and 40th anniversary of the death of Academician Vukić M. Mićović a ceremonial session will be held at the SASA Grand Hall, on Thursday, 3 June, at 11 a.m. The goal of the session is to shed light on the personality of Academician Mićović and remind of the significance of his scientific research work which comprises chemistry of natural products (the work on brasilein with Robert Robinson; study of polysaccharides from the oak lichen), mechanisms of organic reactions and their optimisation (his doctoral thesis with Professor Vavon; the study of the reaction of the Grignard reagent with alpha-chlorocyclohexanone; esterification of carboxyclic acid) as well as the development of a new reagent (lithium-aluminium-hydride in cooperation with Mihailo Mihailović) and development of new chemical reaction (oxydation of polymethylene by means of lead tetraacetate with M. Mihailovic), which has had a lasting effect on the international scientific public. He was also interested in chemical nomenclature issues, particularly taking care of the purity and accuracy of the Serbian language.

The contribution of Vukić Mićović to the development of teaching staff and assistant staff at the Faculty of Chemistry is enormous, since there he spent 20 years working on the creation of a modern Faculty of Chemistry with never-ending enthusiasm with a great number of educators and researchers, specialized laboratories, and on courses for various chemical sections. The construction of the new building of the Faculty of Chemistry (known as the building of the Faculty of Sciences) which he realized in cooperation with Djordje Stefanović, can be considered his lifework since it gave birth to the modern school of chemistry in Serbia.

For outstanding scientific achievements, teaching dignity and consistency, versatile social activism, for life’s work, Mićović was awarded the 7th July Award of Serbia (1965), and the Order of Labour with a Red Flag (1964) and the Order of the Merit to the People with a Golden Star).