Interactions of organic materials with solid surfaces can be successfully studied with inorganic layer crystals that take up organic compounds between the layers. The kind of information obtainable is illustrated by three selected examples. Investigations with long-chain compounds clarify the possible chain conformations in planar alkyl chain aggregates (mono- and bimolecular films). Studies with polyelectrolytes demonstrate the influence of the charge patterns on polymer adsorption and interactions with nucleotides present very specific adsorption phenomena.