Azidomorphine at low concentration (10(-9) M) inhibits the high-affinity binding site of labeled naloxone in rat brain membrane preparations. In the presence of Na+ and guanine nucleotides the displacement curves of azidomorphine are increased toward high concentrations, whereas Mg2+ ions decrease the IC50 values; This demonstrates the agonist behavior of azidomorphine in binding experiments. When compared with morphine, azidomorphine displayed five-fold lower IC50 values. Based on the presented results, azidomorphine appears to be a good candidate for photoaffinity labeling of opiate receptors.