Fundamental properties such as cation exchange capacity (CEC), permanent charge, pH(PZC), and metal uptake of a Zn-containing montmorillonite are modified, in a predictable manner, by a mild chemical treatment using acetate. Acetate treatment allows a controllable increase of the CEC of montmorillonite up to 180 mequiv/100 g. The CEC of the clay is increasing for decreasing Zn content, with a slope of Delta[Zn/Delta[CEC] approximate to -2. X-ray powder diffraction analysis shows that the lamellar structure of the clay remains unaltered by the acetate treatment, while XPS substantiates the removal of Zn. H+ uptake data show that the intrinsic protonation pK values and concentration of the variable charge sites ( SOH) are not modified by the acetate treatment. In contrast, the concentration of the permanent charge sites ( X-) increased linearly with Zn removal by acetate, leading to a significant H+ and Cd2+ uptake enhancement. A physical model is suggested where acetate removes Zn ions strongly bound in the clay, and this in turn modulates the permanent charge and the CEC of the clay.