L-histidine tetrafluoroborate (L-HFB) a semiorganic nonlinear optical material has been synthesized in aqueous solution at 50ºC and characterized by FT-IR and FT-Raman spectroscopy studies. The solubility was determined in different solvents such as water, methanol and water mixture of methanol. The single crystals with dimensions 15x12x3 mm 3 were grown by slow evaporation method within four weeks with approximate growth rate of 0.25 mm/day. The grown crystals have been subjected to single crystal X-ray diffraction studies to determine the unit cell dimensions and morphology. The Kurtz powder second harmonic generation test shows that the compound is a potential candidate for frequency conversion. The refractive index has been measured using He-Ne laser. The microhardness test was carried out and the load dependence hardness was observed. The material has a wide transparency in the entire visible region.