L-Prolinium picrate was synthesized and its solubility in the mixed solvent of acetone and water was estimated. Employing temperature reduction method crystals of size 22 x 4 x 3 mm(3) were grown. The cell dimensions were obtained by single-crystal X-ray diffraction study. FT-IR, UV-vis-NIR and fluorescence spectral analyses were carried out for the grown crystals. The optical band gap estimated for this crystal is about 2.4 eV. Thermogravimetric study was carried out to determine the thermal properties of the grown crystal. Kurtz powder second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency measurement revealed that the SHG efficiency is about 52 times that of potassium dihydrogen orthophosphate. Mechanical strength was tested by Vicker's microhardness test. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.