A saponite from Ballarat, CA was intercalated with solutions containing only-AL, only-Ga, and two mixed AlGa-polycations, with various Al/Ga ratios. The pillared solids were obtained by calcination of the intercalated precursors at two temperatures, 300 and 500 degrees C. The physicochemical characteristics of the solids were studied by several techniques (XRD, N-2 adsorption at - 196 degrees C, TG, DTA, FT-IR and UV-vis-NIR) and also by means of their behavior in various acid-catalyzed reactions. All the solids showed layered, ordered structure with basal spacings of ca. 18 angstrom and high specific surface areas between 247 and 387 m(2)/g (intercalated solids), 236 and 320 m(2)/g (calcined at 300 degrees C, and 201 and 331 m(2)/g (calcined at 500 degrees C). The materials were tested as catalysts in several reactions, including liquid-phase (rearrangement of (x-pinene to camphene and methanol addition to 3,4-dihydropyran) and gas-phase processes (dehydration of the alcohols 2-methyl-3-butyn-2-ol and 2-propanol and cumene conversion). The catalytic behavior of the solids was discussed in terms of their surface properties and synthesis procedure.