Influence of reaction conditions on the synthesis of copper selenide (CuSe) nanoparticles and their photo degradation activity is studied. Nearly monodispersed uniform size (23-44 nm) nanoparticles are synthesized by varying the reaction conditions using reflux condensation method. The obtained nanoparticles are characterized by X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and UV-visible absorption spectroscopy. The X-ray diffraction analysis of the sample shows the formation of nanoparticles with hexagonal CuSe structure. The result indicates that on increasing the reaction time from 4 to 12 h, the particle size decreases from 44 to 23 nm, but an increase in the reaction temperature increases the particle size. The calculated band gap E-g is ranging from 2.34 to 3.05 eV which is blue shifted from the bulk CuSe (2.2 eV). The photocatalytic degradation efficiency of the CuSe nanoparticles on two organic dyes Methylene blue (MB) and Rhodamine-B (RhB) in aqueous solution under UV region is calculated as 76 and 87% respectively. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.