Single crystals of metronidazole were crystallized by the slow solvent evaporation method and used as seeds to grow bulk crystals of size 8.0 X 6.5 X 2.0 mm(3) using top-seeded submerged solution growth. The crystals were characterized using single crystal X-ray diffraction. Fourier transform infrared spectral analysis was made for the absorption bands of various functional groups present in the crystal. UV-vis absorption spectrum was used to identify the presence of nitroimidazole in metronidazole. Morphology study revealed that the growth is prominent along the c-axis and the prominent face is {010}. Thermal stability and thermal decomposition were analyzed using thermo calorimetry. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.