A much green synthesis method is discovered for the synthesis of t-butyl-p-cresol (TBC), an important used as antioxidant in food industries and the basic raw material for the manufacture of oil-soluble phenol-formaldehyde resins. The TBC is synthesized with a conversion (93.2%) and selectivity (98.6%) through a heterogeneous t-butylation of p-cresol with t-butyl alcohol (t-BuOH) in the liquid phase over mild strong acid catalyst, Zn-Al-MCM-41(75). The catalytic results have also compared with those obtained using other Zn-Al-MCM-41, Al-MCM-41, HY, HP, H-mordenite and H-ZSM-5 zeolites. Based on the catalytic results, Zn-Al-MCM-41(75) is found to be a highly active and recyclable heterogeneous catalyst for selective synthesis of TBC. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.