Single crystals of pure and deuterated potassium acid phthalate (DKAP) have been grown from aqueous solution by slow cooling method. The effect of deuterium on morphology and crystal properties has been studied. Powder X-ray diffraction analysis confirms the structure and changes in lattice parameter values for the deuterated crystals. The presence of deuterium in the crystal lattice has been confirmed by FTIR analysis. The DKAP crystals possess relatively lower hardness values than the pure crystals. The transmittance of DKAP is found to be higher than KAP crystals. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.