Alumina with a fairly large surface area (415 m2g−1) and narrow pore size distribution (pore diameter ∼3 nm), containing octahedral and tetrahedral aluminum, prepared by long chain neutral amine as the surfactant, shows some evidence of textured structure. This material also contains disordered hexagonal structures, but use of partially hydrolyzed aluminum alkoxide with short chain amine templates, results in amorphous alumina with a surface area of 340m2g−1. Use of a polyethylene oxide as the surfactant, did not give the mesoporous structure in the absence of the template.