Infrared spectroscopy is widely used in fundamental and applied chemical research. Applications cover tasks in analytical chemistry, such as process monitoring or product identification, [1] as well as cutting-edge studies elucidating reaction mechanisms [2] or resolving ultrafast biomolecular dynamics and functions. [3] Typically, analysis of an IR spectrum starts with assignment, that is, with establishing a connection between the bands observed in the spectrum and the moieties of the molecule that are involved in the corresponding vibrations. For small molecules, vibrations often can be assigned based on experience, aided by databases that list functional groups and the typical wavenumber range of their absorption bands. However, the database approach quickly becomes unfeasible if several groups are present that cause vibrations in the same wavenumber range or if a certain group is present several times in a molecule. A way to obtain assignment information in such cases is isotope labeling, which might involve complex synthesis. Very frequently, quantum-chemical computations are used for assignment. However, even for seemingly simple cases, contradicting results can be obtained from different computational methods, as illustrated by the results presented herein. Furthermore, there are cases where the computation of vibrational modes can be intrinsically difficult, such as excited states or reaction mixtures containing unknown species. A broadly applicable experimental approach to aid assignment is therefore highly desirable.Herein we show how time-dependent infrared pumpprobe spectroscopy allows assignment problems to be solved. For this purpose, a vibration of the molecule is selectively excited using an infrared excitation pulse with narrow bandwidth and the response of the other vibrations is investigated by a delayed probe pulse. The initially excited vibration relaxes; low-frequency modes become excited, and intramolecular vibrational energy transfer (VET) across the molecule occurs between low-frequency modes. [4] Throughbond transfer rates of 2.6-5.5 ps À1 have been reported for different molecules. [4b, 5] The high-frequency vibrations investigated herein are anharmonically coupled to the lowfrequency modes and respond to VET by red-shifting. [6] Because transfer times correlate with through-bond distances, [4b, 5, 7] the order in which the bands in the spectrum respond to the initial excitation reflects the distance between the vibrating groups in the molecule. This is critically important information for band assignment.As an example for the broadly applicable method of VETbased assignment, we chose the artificial amino acid p-azidol-phenylalanine, [8] which is used as a protein label for IR spectroscopy (Figure 1). We investigated the boc-protected form (abbreviated N 3 Phe), thereby adding a peptide bond to the model system. Figure 1 shows the FTIR absorption spectrum. Referring to a database of group frequencies, [9] as is typically done for IR band assignment, we expect several bands in the w...