Tin oxide particles were synthesized in aqueous solutions. They consisted of nanosheets of tin oxide crystals. The sheets were about 50-100 nm in size and 5-10 nm thickness. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the particles were crystals of SnO2 and SnO. The particles had Brunauer-Emmett-Teller(BET) surface area of 85 m(2)/g estimated with N-2 adsorption characteristics. Barrett-Joyner-Halenda (BJH) analysis indicated that mesopores of 3.9 nm in size contributed to the increase surface area. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.