A central task of chemistry is establishing relationships between molecular structure and reactivity. We learn early that energy determines all chemical outcomes, and the tiny differences in energy between one or another reaction product are often too small to predict on structural grounds alone or by analogy with other reactions. Also, we know that the environment plays a substantial role in determining equilibrium constants and rates. Our goal is to track chemical reactions in real time using a “camera” that has an intrinsic time resolution that is faster than all relevant molecular motions. To maximize spectral and temporal resolution we use the powerful new tools of multidimensional spectroscopy, focusing on the infrared spectrum where we have direct access to the nuclear motion responsible for chemical reactions.