The adsorption of L-lysine on a Cu(110) surface has been investigated under UHV conditions from the sublimation of a crystalline phase. The adsorption was characterized by Fourier transform reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy (FT-RAIRS) during exposure and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). At room temperature, the lysine molecules' adsorption geometry varies as a function of the exposure. At low coverage, the molecules are adsorbed via the oxygen atoms of the deprotonated carboxylate group and the nitrogen atom of the amino group. At high coverage, close to the monolayer, the molecules reorient to be anchored to the surface via one oxygen of a sideways-tilted carboxylate moiety. This first step is followed by the growth of multilayers of nonoriented molecules. In contrast, adsorption on an oxygen-modified copper surface leads to a rather disordered layer. The results are compared with the adsorption carried out on a polycrystalline copper surface after immersion in solutions of lysine at various pH values. The adsorption was monitored by polarization modulation infrared spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS). The chemistry of the adsorbed molecules is function of the starting chemical form of the lysine Molecules imposed by the pH of the solution. The combination of the two techniques and various sets of adsorption conditions will give important insight into the adsorption of biomolecules on metal surfaces and the influence of water and surface oxygen.