The interaction of Cu(1 1 1), Au(1 1 1) and Cu-covered Au(1 1 1) electrodes with a neutral phosphate buffer solution has been studied by means of cyclic voltammetry (CV) and in situ electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (EC-STM). Under low potential conditions, both the Cu (1 1 1) and the Au(1 1 1) surface appear apparently adsorbate free, indicated by the presence of a (4 × 4) structure and the herringbone surface reconstruction, respectively. Upon potential increase, phosphate anions adsorb on both surfaces and for Cu(1 1 1) the formation of a (• structure is found, whereas on Au(1 1 1) a "( √ 3× √ 7)" structure is formed. For a Cu-submonolayer on Au(1 1 1), coadsorption of phosphate anions leads to the formation of a (2 × 2) vacancy structure within an assumed pseudomorphic structure of the Cu-submonolayer with the phosphate anions occupying the vacancies. When desorbing the phosphate anions at low potentials, the Cu-submonolayer first becomes mobile and eventually undergoes an irreversible transition to a coalescent nonpseudomorphic structure.