[dr Veselin R. Maslak]

Faculty of Chemistry, Studentski trg 12-16, Beograd
Department of Organic Chemistry

Phone:   011-3336655

Phone (local):   655

Office:   461

Laboratory:   460

E-mail:   vmaslak@chem.bg.ac.rs

Personal data

Born February 15, 1970 in Bijelo Polje. Married, father of 1 child.

Education and qualifications

1989-1994: Undergraduate studies - Chemistry / University of Belgrade - Faculty of Chemistry (Belgrade, Serbia)

1994-1999: Master of science studies - Chemistry / University of Belgrade - Faculty of Chemistry (Belgrade, Serbia)

1999-2004: Doctoral academic (PhD) studies - Chemistry / University of Belgrade - Faculty of Chemistry (Belgrade, Serbia)

History of employment

1994: Junior expert associate / University of Belgrade - Faculty of Chemistry (Belgrade, Serbia)

1994-1995: Junior teaching assistant / University of Belgrade - Faculty of Chemistry (Belgrade, Serbia)

1995-1999: Graduate assistant / University of Belgrade - Faculty of Chemistry (Belgrade, Serbia)

1999-2006: Teaching assistant / University of Belgrade - Faculty of Chemistry (Belgrade, Serbia)

2006-2016: Assistant professor / University of Belgrade - Faculty of Chemistry (Belgrade, Serbia)

2016-2024: Associate professor / University of Belgrade - Faculty of Chemistry (Belgrade, Serbia)

2024: Full professor / University of Belgrade - Faculty of Chemistry (Belgrade, Serbia)

Scientific interest

Organic chemistry; Organic synthesis; Supramolecular chemistry; Chemistry of fullerene; Organic materials;

Other activities

Member of Serbian Chemical Society.

Member of American Chemical Society.

Vice Dean for Finance from May 19, 2010 till May 19, 2013.

Vice Dean for Finance from October 1, 2020 till September 30, 2023.

Member by function of the Committee for Capital Equipment Management from November 10, 2022 till September 30, 2023.

Member by function of the Committee for the Protection of Intellectual Property from June 8, 2023 till September 30, 2026.

Educational activities

Participation in research projects

Active projects:

Finished projects:

  • 2011: – 172002
    project type:   National Fundamental Research Projects
    project is funded by: Ministry of Science and Technological Development (Belgrade, Serbia)
  • 2011: The development of new synthetic methods and their application in syntheses of natural products and biologically active compounds – 172027
    project type:   National Fundamental Research Projects
    project is funded by: Ministry of Science and Technological Development (Belgrade, Serbia)
  • 2014-2015: – 451-03-2802-¸¿ 1/72   (principal investigator)
    project type:   National Innovation Projects
  • 2017: – 391-00-16/2017-16/3 ¸¿   (principal investigator)
    project type:   National Innovation Projects
    project is funded by: Ministarstvo prosvete, nauke i tehnolo¹kog razvoja (Belgrade, Serbia)
  • 2021: Twinning of VERIFIN, Finnish Institute for Verification of the Chemical Weapons Convention and University of Belgrade – Faculty of Chemistry (Center for Instrumental Analysis – CIA) (Twinning VERIFIN CIA) – OPCW/L/ICA/ICB-75/21
    project type:   International Research Projects
    project is funded by: OPCW (Hag, Netherlands)

Author identification numbers

Representative references

Knjige i revijalni radovi / Books and reviews:

  1. V. Maslak, Z. Yan, J. D. Badjić, "Trifluorovinyllithium" in: Electronic Encyclopedia of Reagents for Organic Synthesis, Wiley InterScience (www3.interscience.wiley.com), 2005, DOI: 10.1002/047084289X.rn00655

Izabrani radovi / Selected papers:

  1. V. Maslak, Ž. Čeković, R. N. Saičić: Sequential Reactions with Xanthates: Cyclopentane Ring Annulation, Synlett 1998, 1435-1437;
  2. V. Maslak, R. Matović, R. N. Saičić: Titanium tetrachloride promoted reaction of silyl ketene acetals with epoxides: a new method for the synthesis of g-butanolides, Tetrahedron Letters 2002, 43, 5411-5413;
  3. V. Maslak, R. Matović, R. N. Saičić: Reaction of silyl ketene acetals with epoxides: a new method for the synthesis of g-butanolides, Tetrahedron 2004, 60, 8957-8966;
  4. V. Maslak, Z. Yan, S. Xia, J. Gallucci, C. M. Hadad, and J. D. Badjić Design, synthesis, and conformational dynamics of a gated molecular basket, Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2006, 128, 5887-5894;
  5. Z. Yan, Y. Chang, D. Mayo, V. Maslak, S. Xia, J. D. Badjic: Allosteric Regulation of the conformational dynamics of a cavitand receptor, Organic Letters 2006, 8, 3697-3700.
  6. Z. Yan, S. Xia, M. Gardlik, W. Seo, V. Maslak, J. Gallucci, C. M. Hadad, J. D. Badjic, Silver(I) Mediated Folding of a Molecular Basket, Organic Letters 2007, 9, 2301.
  7. Elheshi, Ahmed Mohamed; Maslak, Veselin; Saicic, Radomir N. Radical reactions of xanthates: annulation of the cyclopentene ring. Journal of the Serbian Chemical Society 2007, 72(12), 1173-1179.
  8. Z. Yan, T. McCracken, X. Shijing, V. Maslak, J. Galluci, C. M. Hadad, J. D. Badjić, Supramolecular Catalysis at Work: Diastereoselective Synthesis of a Molecular Bowl with Dynamic Inner Space, Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2008), 73(2), 355-363.
  9.  B. Y. Wang, X. Bao, Z. Yan, V. Maslak, C. M. Hadad, J.D. Badjic, A 3-fold "Butterfly Valve" in Command of the Encapsulation's Kinetic Stability. Molecular Baskets at Work.    Journal of the American Chemical Society  2008,  130(45),  15127-15133.
  10. V. Maslak, Z. Tokic-Vujosevic, R. N. Saicic, Palladium-catalyzed cross-couplings of allylic phosphates.    Tetrahedron Letters  2009,  50(16),1858-1860. 
  11. V. Maslak, Z. Tokic-Vujosevic, Z. Ferjancic, R. N. Saicic,  A useful synthetic equivalent of an acetone enolate.    Tetrahedron Letters  2009,  50(48),  6709-6711.
  12. M. Bigovic, V. Maslak, Z. Tokic-Vujosevic, V. Divjakovic, R. N. Saicic, A Useful Synthetic Equivalent of a Hydroxyacetone Enolate.  Organic Letters 2011, 13 (17), 4720-4723.
  13. Ismail Ajaj, Dušan Mijin, Veselin Maslak, Danijela Brković,Miloš Milčić,Nina Todorović, Aleksandar Marinković, A simple and convenient synthesis of tautomeric (6 or 2)-hydroxy-4-methyl-(2 or 6)-oxo-1-(substituted phenyl)-(1,2 or 1,6) dihydropyridine-3-carbonitriles. Monatschefte fur Chemie, 2013, 144, 665-675,  DOI 10.1007/s00706-012-0911-5
  14. Aleksandra Mitrović, Nina Todorović, Andrijana Žekić, Dalibor Stanković,Dragana Milić and Veselin Maslak, Synthesis, Electrochemistry, and Hierarchical Self-Organization of Fulleropyrrolidine–Phthalimide Dyads Eur. J. Org. Chem, 2013, 2188-2193,  DOI: 10.1002/ejoc.201201631
  15. Yian Ruan , Hashem A. Taha , Ryan J Yoder , Veselin Maslak , Christopher M. Hadad , and Jovica D Badjic. The Prospect of Selective Recognition of Nerve Agents with Modular Basket-like Hosts. A Structure-Activity Study of the Entrapment of a Series of Organophosphonates in Aqueous Media. J. Phys. Chem. B, 2013, 117, 3240-3249,  DOI: 10.1021/jp401841w
  16. Gordana Tasic, Jelena Randjelovic, Nikola Vusurovic, Veselin Maslak, Suren Husinec, Vladimir Savic A highly regioselective, protecting group controlled, synthesis of bicyclic compounds via Pd-catalysed intramolecular cyclisations. Tetrahedron Lett. 2013, 54, 2243-2246, dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tetlet.2013.02.068
  17. Tanja Narancic, Jelena Radivojevic, Predrag Jovanovic, Djordje Francuski, Miljan Bigovic, Veselin Maslak, Vladimir Savic, Branka Vasiljevic, Kevin E. O’Connor, Jasmina Nikodinovic-Runic, Highly efficient Michael-type addition of acetaldehyde to b-nitrostyrenes by whole resting cells of Escherichia coli expressing 4-oxalocrotonate tautomerase. Bioresource Technology 2013, 142, 462-468.