CeAlO3 was synthesised by a modified solution-combustion route using a mixture of urea and glycine as fuel. A trivalent oxidation state of cerium was stabilised and high-quality single phase polycrystalline CeAlO3 was obtained by optimising the ratio of fuels. The transmission electron micrography and powder X-ray diffraction investigations showed that the particles were nanocrystalline in nature. Rietveld refinement confirmed the space group of the structure to be I4/mcm with lattice parameters a = 5.3278(1) angstrom, c = 7.5717(3) angstrom. Magnetisation measurements indicated that the sample was paramagnetic up to 2 K. The susceptibility data fitted the Curie-Weiss model in the temperature range 100-300 K with theta(p) = -40 K. The value of mu(eff) = 2.2 mu(B) was close to that expected for a Ce3+ ion. The magnetic properties were comparable to that reported for single crystals indicating the high quality of CeAlO3 prepared in the present work. The semiconducting band gap as estimated from UV-visible spectroscopy was 3.26 eV. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.