Graft copolymers of sodium carboxymethylcellulose with N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone were prepared in aqueous solutions with azobisisobutyronitrile as the initiator. The graft copolymers [sodium carboxymethylcellulose-g-poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone)] were characterized with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and scanning electron microscopy. The grafting parameters, including the graft yield of the graft copolymer and the grafting efficiency of the reaction, were evaluated comparatively. The effects of reaction variables such as the time, temperature, and monomer and initiator concentrations on these parameters were studied. The graft yield and grafting efficiency increased and then decreased with increasing concentrations of N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone and azobisisobutyronitrile and increasing polymerization temperatures. The optimum temperature and polymerization time were 708C and 4.30 h, respectively. Further changes in the properties of grafted sodium carboxymethylcellulose, such as the intrinsic viscosity, were determined. The overall activation energy for the grafting was also calculated to be 10.5 kcal/mol. 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 104: 936-943, 2007