A composition and associated method for chemical mechanical planarization (or other polishing) are described. The composition comprises an abrasive and a tricine-type or bicine-type compound. The composition possesses high selectivities for removal of copper in relation to tantalum and dielectric materials whilst minimizing local dishing and erosion effects in CMP. The composition may further comprise an oxidizing agent in which case the composition is particularly useful in conjunction with the associated method for metal CMP applications (e.g., copper CMP).