Ultrathin films of nanocrystalline alpha-Fe(2)O(3) have been deposited on glass substrates from an inorganic precursor, iron nitropruside. This is a novel route of synthesis for iron oxide thin films on glass substrates, by annealing the precursor thin film in air at 650 degrees C for 15 min. The films were characterized using TG-DTA analysis, X-ray diffraction, UV-visible, FESEM, AFM and Raman measurements. X-ray diffraction and Raman analyses revealed that the deposited films contain alpha-phase of Fe(2)O(3) (hematite). The synthetic route described here provides a very simple and cost-effective method to deposit alpha-Fe(2)O(3) thin films on glass substrates with band gap energy of about 2.75 eV. The deposited films were found to show catalytic effect for the photo-degradation of phenol. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.