In order to make a comprehensive investigation, the surface chemistry of MBIH adsorbed on Cu from 3 wt.% NaCl solution using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy will be studied in Part II [21] to gain further insight into the molecular binding and models of adsorption. The acronyms BTAH or BTA and MBIH or MBI are used to emphasize the N–H hydrogen removal from BTAH or MBIH molecules.This is especially needed for the designation of complexes with Cu(I) (e.g. Cu(I)–MBIH or Cu(I)–MBI) [2].