CdSe nanoparticles immersed in an organic matrix of amylopectin have been synthesized by means of the if magnetron-sputtering growth technique. The target was elaborated employing a mixture of CdSe and amylopectin high purity powders. X-ray diffraction (XRD) shows the cubic zinc blende crystalline phase of the nanoparticle and the amorphous structure of the amylopectin film. The average radius of the grains, calculated using the Scherrer formula in XRD peaks, is of the order of 8 nm. Results of resonant Raman scattering show that no confinement effects of optical phonons are observed in these CdSe nanoparticles. The band gap of CdSe nanoparticles measured from optical absorption measurements is 1.9 +/- 0.1 eV. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.