Microwave-assisted montmorillonite K-10-catalyzed Friedlander synthesis of quinolinylquinolinones has been developed. The efficient and eco-friendly catalyst along with the convenience of the product isolation make this process an attractive alternative for the synthesis of target heterocycles. The synthesized products were confirmed by FTIR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and mass spectroscopic techniques. All the synthesized compounds showed good antibacterial property similar to standard Ampicillin and enhanced antioxidant activity. © 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.