Reaction of a sulfur, selenium, or tellurium alkaline aqueous solution and Pb(CH3COO)(2). 3H(2)O aqueous solution produces nanocrystalline lead chalcogenides PbE (E = S, Se, or Te) with a cubic phase at low temperature under atmospheric pressure. The products are characterized through X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. The average particle size is in the range 20-35 nm. The XPS analysis indicates that the stability of the product surface in air decreases in the order PbS, PbSe, and PbTe. An advantage of this synthesis method is that the PbE crystallizes well in the alkaline solution. The mechanism for the formation of the lead chalcogenides is discussed.