A nonmetal pentaborate [C
2H
10N
2][B
5O
8(OH)] (
I) was synthesized by a solvothermal method at 150
C andcharacterized by elemental analysis, IR, thermogravimetric analysis, and X-ray diffraction. The structure of
I was determined by asingle-crystal technique. It crystallizes in the monoclinic system with space group
Cc,
a = 6.7085 (13) Å,
b = 11.437(2) Å,
c =12.530(3) Å, and
= 95.41(3)
. Powder second-harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency measurements with Nd:YAG laser (1064nm) radiation show that [C
2H
10N
2][B
5O
8(OH)] has a SHG efficiency approximately 1.2 times of that of potassium dihydrogenphosphate (KDP).