A semiorganic nonlinear optical material dichlorobis L-proline Zn (II) (DBLPZ), with molecular formula [ZnCl2(C5H9NO2)(2)], has been synthesized from mixed solvents of deionised water and methanol. Single crystals of DBLPZ were successfully grown by the slow evaporation method at an ambient temperature. Single-crystal X-ray diffractometer was utilized to measure unit cell parameters and to confirm the crystal structure. The powder X-ray diffraction pattern of the grown DBLPZ has been indexed. The modes of vibration of different molecular groups present in the sample were identified by the FTIR spectral analysis. The optical transmittance window and the lower cutoff wavelength of the DBLPZ have been identified by UV-vis-NIR studies. Thermal stability of the DBLPZ was determined from TG/DTA/DSC curves, which indicate that the material is stable Lip to 242.3 C. The existence of second harmonic generation signals was observed using Nd:YAG laser with fundamental wavelength of 1064nm possessing SHG efficiency of 0.5 times of IMP and hence it can be a potential material for the frequency-doubling process. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.