Understanding the mechanism of physical, chemical and biological change at the microscopic scale is critical for a broad range of science and technology. A common goal is to develop this understanding to the point where it becomes possible to tailor functionality through material design, or by the application of electric, magnetic or optical fields. Across a broad range of disciplines the scientific community is currently frustrated by its inability to dynamically image matter down to the atomic scale. It is timely to hold a Faraday Discussion which focuses on the potential impact in chemistry. Because the subject by its very nature is highly inter-disciplinary we anticipate strong participation from physicists as well as chemists. Indeed, many of the initial studies have focused on atoms, rather than molecules, but the techniques used are directly transferable.