Uniform strontium carbonate (SrCO 3) and barium carbonate (BaCO 3) nanoparticles were successfully synthesized using alkaline earth metal nitrate (M(NO 3) 2 with M 2=Sr 2 and Ba 2) and sodium carbonate (Na 2CO 3) in ethylene glycol by a cyclic microwave radiation. The products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED). In this research, the products were orthorhombic SrCO 3 and BaCO 3 phase with nanoparticles over the ranges of 20-50 nm for SrCO 3 and 40-100 nm for BaCO 3, including the detection of asymmetric C-O stretching, symmetric C-O stretching, out of plane bending and in plane bending vibrations at 1463, 1071, 862 and 708 cm -1 for SrCO 3, and 1439, 1059, 858 and 692 cm -1 for BaCO 3, respectively. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.