Curcumin and its complexes with Zn 2+ and Cu 2+ ions were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, mass spectroscopy, IR spectroscopy, UV spectroscopy, solution 1 H and solid-state 13 C NMR spectroscopy, EPR spectroscopy. In addition, the density functional theory (DFT)-based UV and 13 C chemical shift calculations were also performed to view insight into those compound structures and properties. The results show that curcumin easily chelate the metal ions, such as Zn 2+ and Cu 2+ , and the Cu(II)-curcumin complex has an ability to scavenge free-radicals. We demonstrated the differences between Zn(II)-curcumin and Cu(II)-curcumin complexes in structure and properties, enhancing the comprehensions about the curcumin roles in the Alzhermer’s disease treatment.