Abstract
New experimental techniques allow the characterization of reaction patterns across a range of pressures and length scales. As Jaeger explains in his Perspective, these techniques enable the previous gap between operating conditions of real catalysts and systems accessible to experiment to be bridged. Jaeger highlights the report by Sachs et al., who use two different techniques to study the reaction dynamics at atomic resolution and on micrometer scales under the same operating conditions. He charts recent progress toward understanding the dynamics of surface reactions and using the acquired knowledge in the rational design of new catalysts.