Sodium azide is widely utilized in research focused on:

• Explosives and Propellants: Due to its high reactivity, sodium azide is a key component in the production of explosives, particularly in automotive airbags, where it rapidly decomposes to produce nitrogen gas, providing a quick and effective inflation mechanism.
• Biochemical Research: It serves as a potent inhibitor of cytochrome c oxidase in cellular respiration studies, allowing researchers to explore metabolic pathways and the effects of oxygen deprivation on cells.
• Laboratory Reagent: Commonly used in organic synthesis, sodium azide facilitates the formation of azides from alkyl halides, which can be further transformed into various functional groups, making it valuable for chemists developing new compounds.
• Antimicrobial Applications: Its ability to inhibit bacterial growth makes sodium azide useful in microbiological studies, particularly in preserving biological samples and in the development of antimicrobial agents.
• Pharmaceutical Development: Sodium azide is employed in the synthesis of azide-containing compounds, which have potential applications in drug discovery and development, particularly in creating new therapeutic agents.