Nanostructures of copper oxide (CuO) was synthesized into crystallite sized ranging from 20 to 50 nm in the presence of different surfactants, and complex agent such as cityl tri methyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), sodium do decyl sulfate (SDS), poly ethylene glycol (PEG-400) and citric acid via a precipitation route. Variations in several parameters and their effects on the structural and optical properties of CuO nanostructures (crystallite size, morphology and band gap) were investigated by XRD, FTIR, SEM and UV analysis. The UV-visible absorption spectra of the different surfactants and complexing agent assisted CuO nanostructures indicates that the estimated optical band gap energy value (1.94-1.98 eV) is higher than that of the bulk CuO value (1.4 eV), which is attributed to the quantum confinement effect. The formation mechanism of different surfactants and complexing agent assisted CuO nanostructures is also proposed. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.