Waste kaolinite from a fertilizer industry was intercalated with n-methylformamide (NMF) under ambient conditions. The complex was washed, characterized and then reacted with benzamide (dissolved in ethanol) under similar conditions. Using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and differential thermal analysis (DTA), clear evidence of benzamide intercalation was observed after a reaction time of 48 h. The FTIR and DTA analysis also confirmed that the ethanol was not involved in the intercalation and that both NMF and benzamide are present in the interlayer region.