Hexadecylamine (HDA) capped CdTe nanoparticles have been synthesized using a facile hybrid solution based/thermolysis route. This method involves the reaction by the addition of an aqueous suspension or solution of a cadmium salt (chloride, acetate, nitrate or carbonate) to a freshly prepared NaHTe solution. The isolated CdTe was then dispersed in tri-octylphosphine (TOP) and injected into pre-heated HDA at temperatures of 190, 230 and 270 degrees C for 2 h. The particle growth and size distribution of the CdTe particles synthesized using cadmium chloride as the cadmium source were monitored using absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The final morphology of the CdTe nanoparticles synthesized from the various cadmium sources was studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high resolution TEM. The cadmium source has an influence on the final morphology of the particles. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.