Nanocrystalline tin dioxide (SnO2) doped with by Zn and Ce were synthesized via chemical co-precipitation method. The SnO2 crystallites were found to exhibit tetragonal rutile structure and the values of lattice parameters show that the metal ions get substituted in the SnO2 lattice. The samples were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). The XRD data showed that all the samples are of single phase (tetragonal) and the crystallite size is found to be in the range of 6 –15 nm. The lattice constants (a & c) and a/c ratio along with cell volume were also calculated from XRD data. The characterization of the sample using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Photoluminescence (PL) techniques discussed in detail in order to know the suitability of the material for energy applications.