Tin oxide is a wide band gap /Mype semiconductor and has the capability to detect various reducing gases and organic vapours. The sensitivity towards different gases and organic vapours in high temperature environment is already reported. The present work is focused on the development of soft chemical route derived SnO2 nanostructures to detect organic vapours. The ethanol sensing properties of the derived nanostructures of SnO2 was analyzed. X-Ray diffraction, UV-Vis spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive spectroscope characterizations have been performed to confirm the SnO2 nanostructure formation. The optimum temperature for sensor operation towards 50 ppm of ethanol has also been found. © 2015 Scientific Publishers. All Rights Reserved.