Adsorption of three ketones, R-3-methyl-cyclohexanone, cyclohexanone, and 2-hexanone, on the chiral Cu(6 4 3) surface has been investigated with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) under ultrahigh vacuum conditions. The measurements reveal that the clean Cu(6 4 3) surface is composed of a well-ordered and evenly spaced step and terrace structure. In addition, the measurements indicate a high mobility of Cu atoms along the steps of the surface held at room temperature. Upon adsorption at room temperature, all the three ketones form ordered structures on Cu(6 4 3) consisting of one molecule per terrace width with a spacing along the step direction commensurate with the ideal kink spacing, The ordered structures of cyclohexanone are consistent with the reconstruction of the Cu(6 4 3) to a surface composed of (117 5) (major) and (5 3 2) (minor) facets. This reconstruction comprises an effective reduction in terrace width while preserving the kinked step structure. (C) 2004 Published by Elsevier B.V.