Monoclinic lead hydrogen arsenate (LHA) nanocrystals with different crystallization morphologies and crystallite sizes were prepared successfully by a soft template synthesis method in the presence of sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (SDBS) or polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The possible mechanism of SDBS and PVP in the experiment was briefly illustrated. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.