Organic nonlinear optical single crystals of 2-amino-5-chlorobenzophenone (2A-5CB) were grown in ethanol by slow solvent evaporation technique. The grown crystals were characterized by single-crystal XRD, FTIR, FT-Raman and UV-vis NIR techniques. The UV-vis-NIR spectrum ascertains the cut-off wavelength of the sample as 390nm. The powder second harmonic generation (SHG) technique reveals that 2A-5CB crystal has its SHG efficiency nearly three times that of KDP. The dielectric response of the sample was studied in the frequency region of 50 Hz-1 MHz at varying temperatures. The photoconductivity studies indicate that the 2A-5CB crystal exhibits negative photoconductivity. TGA-DTA studies confirm the melting point of the sample as 101.5 degrees C. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.