The Cu (II) complex of novel 2-(1-substituted-5-nitro-1H-imidazol-2-yl)-1-substitutedethanone derivatives have been designed, synthesized and characterized by UV, IR, 1HNMR, Mass and conductivity measurements. 2- substituted 5-nitroimidazole acts as a bidentate ligand through the N-3 of imidazole ring and carbonyl group, which coordinate the copper ion to form 4-coordinate tetrahedral Cu (II) complex. Synthesized compounds then evaluated in-vitro for their antibacterial activity using cup plate method. Some of the metal complexes were found to be moderately active against Gram-positive bacteria, B. pumilus ATCC 14884 and S. aureus ATCC 29737.