Aluminum hydrous oxides and their derivatives were prepared by a facile solvothermal process in the presence of formamide, dimethyl formamide, and diethyl formamide as solvents at 150 degrees C/ 24 h. The as-synthesized products were calcined at 500 degrees C/ 1 h to obtain gamma-Al2O3. The crystallization behavior and microstructure of the pre-and postcalcination products were studied by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy, respectively. The surface textural properties of the calcined samples were investigated by N-2 adsorption-desorption analysis. The formamide and its derivatives played a significant role in tuning textural properties of the calcined products. The diethyl formamide based sample exhibited enhanced Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area and pore volume of 517 m(2) g(-1) and 2 cm(3) g(-1), respectively. Both the as-prepared and calcined samples showed variable morphologies and crystallinity using different solvents. The trend in morphological changes as nanosheet -> nanorod -> nanowire bundles occurred in the presence of formamide, dimethylformamide, and diethylformamide, respectively. A tentative mechanism has been illustrated for the formation of the products.