The copper(II) complex of sulfadiazine with beta-alanine amino acid was synthesized and characterized using different tools such as IR, UV/Vis, H-1 NMR, elemental analysis, thermal analysis, TEM and EPR spectroscopy. The mode of binding of the metal shows that, the copper binds with the ligand through nitrogen atom of the amino group and carbonyl oxygen atom. The transmission electron microscope (TEM) demonstrated that the average particle size of the copper complex is found to be in the range of 35-40 nm. The complex, [CuL(OH)(2)] has been used as an effective catalyst for homogenous oxidation of polyphenol 1,2,3-trihydroxybenzene in the presence of the green oxidant H2O2 to produce a first-order rate constant k(cat) = 0.0043 s(-1). The catalysis shows a catalytic proficiency of 1.7 x 10(3) times compared to the uncatalyzed oxidation of THB under the same reaction conditions. The oxidation reaction is inhibited by kojic acid with IC50 = 65 mu M. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.