L-tyrosine hydrobromide (L-THB) a semi organic nonlinear optical material with molecular formula C9H12NO3Br has been synthesized at ambient temperature. Spectral, thermal and optical techniques have been employed to characterize the new material. The solubility Of L-THB at varying temperatures was determined in different concentrations of hydrobromic acid. Bulk single crystals of size 15x7x4mm(3) of L-THB were grown by slow evaporation method at constant temperature. Powder X-ray diffraction pattern of the grown L-THB has been indexed. Functional groups present in the sample were identified by FTIR spectral analysis. Chemical composition of the synthesized material was confirmed by carrying out CHN analysis. Thermal stability Of L-THB was determined from TGA/DTA and DSC response curves. Mechanical hardness of the grown crystal L-THB was determined and Vickers hardness number was calculated. The Kurtz powder second harmonic generation test shows that the compound is a potential candidate for optical second harmonic generation. The optical transparency range and the lower cut-off of UV transmission were identified from the recorded UV-vis spectrum of L-THB. The optical energy gap of L-THB is 3 eV. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.