We report that gold nanocrystals can be prepared from vapor phase using chloroauric acid (HAuCl4) as the precursor. By tuning the vapor-phase deposition parameters, the size and space distribution of the gold nanocrystals can be well controlled on substrates. Systerriatic control experiments demonstrate that intermediate AuCl and AuCl3 products pyrolyzed from HAuCl4 play an essential role in this vapor-phase deposition process. Compared to conventional wet-chemical synthesis process, vapor-phase process enables direct deposition of gold nanoparticles on solid substrates with better coverage and uniformity, which may find applications in surface-enhanced Raman scattering and plasmon-enhanced photocatalysis. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.