We formulate a simple chemical precipitation method for the preparation of undoped and Zn doped SnO2 nanocrystals. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns revealed the crystalline nature of the prepared products. The diffusion reflectance spectra (DRS) show the optical properties and confirmation made by photoluminescence (PL) results. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscopic (TEM) results discussed more regarding the morphologies of the products. The photocatalytic performance of SnO2 studied by the degradation of brilliant green showed excellent activity on 0.075 M of zinc doping due to its reduced crystallite size and high surface area. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.