Abstract: The pillared saponites were prepared by replacing the interlayer cation in the saponites synthesized by using hydrothermal method with [Al₁₃O₄(OH)₂₄ (H₂O)₁₂]⁷⁺.The linkage mode of pillar with layer may be Al-O-Al_p obtained by means of hydroxyl group condensition acom-panying the breaking of Si-Obond in the tetrahedral sheet according to the results of MAS NMR, XRDand chemical analysis.The dehydration-amination of methanol with ammonia was studied over the pillared saponites at 375 - 450℃ under ambient pressure.It is found that the methanol conversion and amine selectivity incresase with the acid amount on the surface of pillared saponite which is correlative with pillar density.The trimethylamine was suppressed with the increase of pillar density which is.correlative with the size and shape of pore structure.It means that the pillared saponite possesses the function of shape selectivity.

Key words: Methanol animation, [Al₁₃O₄(OH)₂₄(H₂O)₁₂]⁷⁺, Pillared saponite