pH potentiometric and spectrophotometric investigations on the complex formation equilibria of Cu II with iminodiacetate (ida 2-) and heterocyclic N-bases, viz. imidazole and benzimidazole (B), in aqueous solution in binary and ternary systems using different molar ratios of the reactants indicated the formation of complexes of the types, Cu(ida), Cu(ida)(OH)-, (ida)Cu(OH)Cu(ida)-, Cu(B) 2+ , Cu(H-1 B) + , Cu(ida)(H-1 B)-, (ida)Cu(B)Cu(ida) and (ida)Cu(H-1 B)Cu(ida)-. Formation constants of the complexes at 25 ± 1° at a fixed ionic strength, I = 0⋅1 mol dm-3 (NaNO 3) in aqueous solution were evaluated and the complex formation equilibria were elucidated with the aid of speciation curves. Departure of the experimental values of the reproportionation constants (∆logK Cu) of ternary Cu(ida)(H-1 B)complexes from the statistically expected values, despite their formation in appreciable amounts at equilibrium, were assigned to fac(f)-mer(m) equilibria of the ida 2ligand coordinated to Cu II , as the N-heterocyclic donors, (H-1 B)-, coordinate trans-to the N-(ida 2-) atom in the binary Cu(ida) f complex to form the ternary Cu(ida) m (H-1 B)complexes.