UV-radiation induced grafting of methyl methacrylate onto sodium salt of partially carboxymethylated psyllium has been carried out using ceric ammonium nitrate as a photoinitiator in an aqueous medium. The reaction variables including concentrations of initiator, nitric acid, monomer, and amount of the backbone as well as time and temperature have been varied for establishing the optimized reaction conditions for grafting. The influence of these reaction conditions on the grafting yields has been discussed. The overall activation energy of grafting has been calculated. The infrared spectroscopic, thermogravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscopic techniques have been used for the characterization of graft copolymers. (c) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011