Used primarily as a biochemical reagent in metabolic labeling and click chemistry applications. Its azide group enables selective reactions with alkynes via copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC), allowing for the tagging and visualization of cellular components. Commonly employed in studies of carbohydrate metabolism and glycosylation pathways, where it acts as a fructose analog to trace sugar uptake and processing in living cells. Also utilized in the development of glycoconjugate probes and in drug discovery for designing enzyme inhibitors targeting carbohydrate-processing enzymes.