Exploring chemistry with single-molecule and -particle fluorescence microscopy

The evolution of single-molecule and -particle fluorescence microscopy imaging techniques for the investigation of chemical reactions has yielded achievements at all fronts, from synthetic organic chemistry to materials science. The removal of averaging effects uncovers unique, otherwise hidden reaction intermediates, reactivity, and kinetics. Thus, new insights can be obtained even for well-explored chemical reactions and processes. The aim of this article is to serve as a guide and a source of inspiration for scientists who wish to develop single-molecule and -particle fluorescence microscopy to answer questions in chemistry. We describe the current status of technical accomplishments in the field and point out technical and conceptual obstacles to overcome in the near future, with focus on improvement of bench-scale synthetic reactions.