Cerium(III)trislaurylsulfonate (Ce(LS)(3)), a Lewis acid and surfactant combined catalyst, was prepared and characterized by SEM, SEM-EDX, XRD, NMR, FT-IR, TG, and elemental analysis. Ce(LS)(3) was found to be stable and efficient to catalyze one-pot Biginelli and solvent-free esterification reactions. Furthermore, Ce(LS)(3) is easy to recycle after reaction by pouring into cold water and filtration. Present work will shed deep insight into the understanding of the catalytic nature of LASCs, and extend its application in important organic transformations. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.