[EN]The effect of acid modification of a natural montmorillonite clay (MM) by HNO3 on the catalytic properties of MM from Dash-Salakhlinsk (Kazakhstan) has been investigated in the synthesis of solketal from glycerol and acetone in solvent free and acetonitrile media. HNO3 concentration allowed to control the chemical composition, the surface acidity, the porous structure of the acid-activated MMs and their catalytic performance. The main reaction product was solketal with 86.6–98% selectivity. Conversion of glycerol depended on the Brønsted acidity. The most active sample, namely, MM activated with 0.5 mol/dm3 HNO3, showed good reusability for 3 catalyst cycles
