diff --git a/modules/@angular/compiler/src/chars.ts b/modules/@angular/compiler/src/chars.ts
index 490aef42ba..af7bc9d3a1 100644
--- a/modules/@angular/compiler/src/chars.ts
+++ b/modules/@angular/compiler/src/chars.ts
@@ -62,6 +62,20 @@ export const $PIPE = 124;
 export const $TILDA = 126;
 export const $AT = 64;
 
+export const $BT = 96;
+
 export function isWhitespace(code: number): boolean {
   return (code >= $TAB && code <= $SPACE) || (code == $NBSP);
 }
+
+export function isDigit(code: number): boolean {
+  return $0 <= code && code <= $9;
+}
+
+export function isAsciiLetter(code: number): boolean {
+  return code >= $a && code <= $z || code >= $A && code <= $Z;
+}
+
+export function isAsciiHexDigit(code: number): boolean {
+  return code >= $a && code <= $f || code >= $A && code <= $F || isDigit(code);
+}
diff --git a/modules/@angular/compiler/src/css_lexer.ts b/modules/@angular/compiler/src/css_lexer.ts
index 53309a8410..2452932d7a 100644
--- a/modules/@angular/compiler/src/css_lexer.ts
+++ b/modules/@angular/compiler/src/css_lexer.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,7 @@
-import {$$, $0, $9, $A, $AMPERSAND, $AT, $BACKSLASH, $BANG, $CARET, $COLON, $COMMA, $CR, $DQ, $EOF, $EQ, $FF, $GT, $HASH, $LBRACE, $LBRACKET, $LF, $LPAREN, $MINUS, $PERCENT, $PERIOD, $PIPE, $PLUS, $QUESTION, $RBRACE, $RBRACKET, $RPAREN, $SEMICOLON, $SLASH, $SPACE, $SQ, $STAR, $TAB, $TILDA, $VTAB, $Z, $_, $a, $z, isWhitespace} from './chars';
+import * as chars from './chars';
 import {BaseException} from './facade/exceptions';
 import {StringWrapper, isPresent, resolveEnumToken} from './facade/lang';
 
-export {$AT, $COLON, $COMMA, $EOF, $GT, $LBRACE, $LBRACKET, $LPAREN, $PLUS, $RBRACE, $RBRACKET, $RPAREN, $SEMICOLON, $SLASH, $SPACE, $TAB, $TILDA, isWhitespace} from './chars';
-
 export enum CssTokenType {
   EOF,
   String,
@@ -148,25 +146,25 @@ export class CssScanner {
   }
 
   peekAt(index: number): number {
-    return index >= this.length ? $EOF : StringWrapper.charCodeAt(this.input, index);
+    return index >= this.length ? chars.$EOF : StringWrapper.charCodeAt(this.input, index);
   }
 
   consumeEmptyStatements(): void {
     this.consumeWhitespace();
-    while (this.peek == $SEMICOLON) {
+    while (this.peek == chars.$SEMICOLON) {
       this.advance();
       this.consumeWhitespace();
     }
   }
 
   consumeWhitespace(): void {
-    while (isWhitespace(this.peek) || isNewline(this.peek)) {
+    while (chars.isWhitespace(this.peek) || isNewline(this.peek)) {
       this.advance();
       if (!this._trackComments && isCommentStart(this.peek, this.peekPeek)) {
         this.advance();  // /
         this.advance();  // *
         while (!isCommentEnd(this.peek, this.peekPeek)) {
-          if (this.peek == $EOF) {
+          if (this.peek == chars.$EOF) {
             this.error('Unterminated comment');
           }
           this.advance();
@@ -255,7 +253,7 @@ export class CssScanner {
   _scan(): CssToken {
     var peek = this.peek;
     var peekPeek = this.peekPeek;
-    if (peek == $EOF) return null;
+    if (peek == chars.$EOF) return null;
 
     if (isCommentStart(peek, peekPeek)) {
       // even if comments are not tracked we still lex the
@@ -266,13 +264,13 @@ export class CssScanner {
       }
     }
 
-    if (_trackWhitespace(this._currentMode) && (isWhitespace(peek) || isNewline(peek))) {
+    if (_trackWhitespace(this._currentMode) && (chars.isWhitespace(peek) || isNewline(peek))) {
       return this.scanWhitespace();
     }
 
     peek = this.peek;
     peekPeek = this.peekPeek;
-    if (peek == $EOF) return null;
+    if (peek == chars.$EOF) return null;
 
     if (isStringStart(peek, peekPeek)) {
       return this.scanString();
@@ -283,14 +281,15 @@ export class CssScanner {
       return this.scanCssValueFunction();
     }
 
-    var isModifier = peek == $PLUS || peek == $MINUS;
-    var digitA = isModifier ? false : isDigit(peek);
-    var digitB = isDigit(peekPeek);
-    if (digitA || (isModifier && (peekPeek == $PERIOD || digitB)) || (peek == $PERIOD && digitB)) {
+    var isModifier = peek == chars.$PLUS || peek == chars.$MINUS;
+    var digitA = isModifier ? false : chars.isDigit(peek);
+    var digitB = chars.isDigit(peekPeek);
+    if (digitA || (isModifier && (peekPeek == chars.$PERIOD || digitB)) ||
+        (peek == chars.$PERIOD && digitB)) {
       return this.scanNumber();
     }
 
-    if (peek == $AT) {
+    if (peek == chars.$AT) {
       return this.scanAtExpression();
     }
 
@@ -319,7 +318,7 @@ export class CssScanner {
     this.advance();  // *
 
     while (!isCommentEnd(this.peek, this.peekPeek)) {
-      if (this.peek == $EOF) {
+      if (this.peek == chars.$EOF) {
         this.error('Unterminated comment');
       }
       this.advance();
@@ -336,7 +335,7 @@ export class CssScanner {
     var start = this.index;
     var startingColumn = this.column;
     var startingLine = this.line;
-    while (isWhitespace(this.peek) && this.peek != $EOF) {
+    while (chars.isWhitespace(this.peek) && this.peek != chars.$EOF) {
       this.advance();
     }
     var str = this.input.substring(start, this.index);
@@ -357,7 +356,7 @@ export class CssScanner {
     this.advance();
 
     while (!isCharMatch(target, previous, this.peek)) {
-      if (this.peek == $EOF || isNewline(this.peek)) {
+      if (this.peek == chars.$EOF || isNewline(this.peek)) {
         this.error('Unterminated quote');
       }
       previous = this.peek;
@@ -376,12 +375,12 @@ export class CssScanner {
   scanNumber(): CssToken {
     var start = this.index;
     var startingColumn = this.column;
-    if (this.peek == $PLUS || this.peek == $MINUS) {
+    if (this.peek == chars.$PLUS || this.peek == chars.$MINUS) {
       this.advance();
     }
     var periodUsed = false;
-    while (isDigit(this.peek) || this.peek == $PERIOD) {
-      if (this.peek == $PERIOD) {
+    while (chars.isDigit(this.peek) || this.peek == chars.$PERIOD) {
+      if (this.peek == chars.$PERIOD) {
         if (periodUsed) {
           this.error('Unexpected use of a second period value');
         }
@@ -412,11 +411,11 @@ export class CssScanner {
     var start = this.index;
     var startingColumn = this.column;
     var parenBalance = 1;
-    while (this.peek != $EOF && parenBalance > 0) {
+    while (this.peek != chars.$EOF && parenBalance > 0) {
       this.advance();
-      if (this.peek == $LPAREN) {
+      if (this.peek == chars.$LPAREN) {
         parenBalance++;
-      } else if (this.peek == $RPAREN) {
+      } else if (this.peek == chars.$RPAREN) {
         parenBalance--;
       }
     }
@@ -440,7 +439,7 @@ export class CssScanner {
   }
 
   scanAtExpression(): CssToken {
-    if (this.assertCondition(this.peek == $AT, 'Expected @ value')) {
+    if (this.assertCondition(this.peek == chars.$AT, 'Expected @ value')) {
       return null;
     }
 
@@ -481,53 +480,45 @@ export class CssScanner {
   }
 }
 
-function isAtKeyword(current: CssToken, next: CssToken): boolean {
-  return current.numValue == $AT && next.type == CssTokenType.Identifier;
-}
-
 function isCharMatch(target: number, previous: number, code: number): boolean {
-  return code == target && previous != $BACKSLASH;
-}
-
-function isDigit(code: number): boolean {
-  return $0 <= code && code <= $9;
+  return code == target && previous != chars.$BACKSLASH;
 }
 
 function isCommentStart(code: number, next: number): boolean {
-  return code == $SLASH && next == $STAR;
+  return code == chars.$SLASH && next == chars.$STAR;
 }
 
 function isCommentEnd(code: number, next: number): boolean {
-  return code == $STAR && next == $SLASH;
+  return code == chars.$STAR && next == chars.$SLASH;
 }
 
 function isStringStart(code: number, next: number): boolean {
   var target = code;
-  if (target == $BACKSLASH) {
+  if (target == chars.$BACKSLASH) {
     target = next;
   }
-  return target == $DQ || target == $SQ;
+  return target == chars.$DQ || target == chars.$SQ;
 }
 
 function isIdentifierStart(code: number, next: number): boolean {
   var target = code;
-  if (target == $MINUS) {
+  if (target == chars.$MINUS) {
     target = next;
   }
 
-  return ($a <= target && target <= $z) || ($A <= target && target <= $Z) || target == $BACKSLASH ||
-      target == $MINUS || target == $_;
+  return chars.isAsciiLetter(target) || target == chars.$BACKSLASH || target == chars.$MINUS ||
+      target == chars.$_;
 }
 
 function isIdentifierPart(target: number): boolean {
-  return ($a <= target && target <= $z) || ($A <= target && target <= $Z) || target == $BACKSLASH ||
-      target == $MINUS || target == $_ || isDigit(target);
+  return chars.isAsciiLetter(target) || target == chars.$BACKSLASH || target == chars.$MINUS ||
+      target == chars.$_ || chars.isDigit(target);
 }
 
 function isValidPseudoSelectorCharacter(code: number): boolean {
   switch (code) {
-    case $LPAREN:
-    case $RPAREN:
+    case chars.$LPAREN:
+    case chars.$RPAREN:
       return true;
     default:
       return false;
@@ -535,18 +526,18 @@ function isValidPseudoSelectorCharacter(code: number): boolean {
 }
 
 function isValidKeyframeBlockCharacter(code: number): boolean {
-  return code == $PERCENT;
+  return code == chars.$PERCENT;
 }
 
 function isValidAttributeSelectorCharacter(code: number): boolean {
   // value^*|$~=something
   switch (code) {
-    case $$:
-    case $PIPE:
-    case $CARET:
-    case $TILDA:
-    case $STAR:
-    case $EQ:
+    case chars.$$:
+    case chars.$PIPE:
+    case chars.$CARET:
+    case chars.$TILDA:
+    case chars.$STAR:
+    case chars.$EQ:
       return true;
     default:
       return false;
@@ -559,17 +550,17 @@ function isValidSelectorCharacter(code: number): boolean {
   // #id, .class, *+~>
   // tag:PSEUDO
   switch (code) {
-    case $HASH:
-    case $PERIOD:
-    case $TILDA:
-    case $STAR:
-    case $PLUS:
-    case $GT:
-    case $COLON:
-    case $PIPE:
-    case $COMMA:
-    case $LBRACKET:
-    case $RBRACKET:
+    case chars.$HASH:
+    case chars.$PERIOD:
+    case chars.$TILDA:
+    case chars.$STAR:
+    case chars.$PLUS:
+    case chars.$GT:
+    case chars.$COLON:
+    case chars.$PIPE:
+    case chars.$COMMA:
+    case chars.$LBRACKET:
+    case chars.$RBRACKET:
       return true;
     default:
       return false;
@@ -580,16 +571,16 @@ function isValidStyleBlockCharacter(code: number): boolean {
   // key:value;
   // key:calc(something ... )
   switch (code) {
-    case $HASH:
-    case $SEMICOLON:
-    case $COLON:
-    case $PERCENT:
-    case $SLASH:
-    case $BACKSLASH:
-    case $BANG:
-    case $PERIOD:
-    case $LPAREN:
-    case $RPAREN:
+    case chars.$HASH:
+    case chars.$SEMICOLON:
+    case chars.$COLON:
+    case chars.$PERCENT:
+    case chars.$SLASH:
+    case chars.$BACKSLASH:
+    case chars.$BANG:
+    case chars.$PERIOD:
+    case chars.$LPAREN:
+    case chars.$RPAREN:
       return true;
     default:
       return false;
@@ -599,11 +590,11 @@ function isValidStyleBlockCharacter(code: number): boolean {
 function isValidMediaQueryRuleCharacter(code: number): boolean {
   // (min-width: 7.5em) and (orientation: landscape)
   switch (code) {
-    case $LPAREN:
-    case $RPAREN:
-    case $COLON:
-    case $PERCENT:
-    case $PERIOD:
+    case chars.$LPAREN:
+    case chars.$RPAREN:
+    case chars.$COLON:
+    case chars.$PERCENT:
+    case chars.$PERIOD:
       return true;
     default:
       return false;
@@ -613,21 +604,21 @@ function isValidMediaQueryRuleCharacter(code: number): boolean {
 function isValidAtRuleCharacter(code: number): boolean {
   // @document url(http://www.w3.org/page?something=on#hash),
   switch (code) {
-    case $LPAREN:
-    case $RPAREN:
-    case $COLON:
-    case $PERCENT:
-    case $PERIOD:
-    case $SLASH:
-    case $BACKSLASH:
-    case $HASH:
-    case $EQ:
-    case $QUESTION:
-    case $AMPERSAND:
-    case $STAR:
-    case $COMMA:
-    case $MINUS:
-    case $PLUS:
+    case chars.$LPAREN:
+    case chars.$RPAREN:
+    case chars.$COLON:
+    case chars.$PERCENT:
+    case chars.$PERIOD:
+    case chars.$SLASH:
+    case chars.$BACKSLASH:
+    case chars.$HASH:
+    case chars.$EQ:
+    case chars.$QUESTION:
+    case chars.$AMPERSAND:
+    case chars.$STAR:
+    case chars.$COMMA:
+    case chars.$MINUS:
+    case chars.$PLUS:
       return true;
     default:
       return false;
@@ -636,14 +627,14 @@ function isValidAtRuleCharacter(code: number): boolean {
 
 function isValidStyleFunctionCharacter(code: number): boolean {
   switch (code) {
-    case $PERIOD:
-    case $MINUS:
-    case $PLUS:
-    case $STAR:
-    case $SLASH:
-    case $LPAREN:
-    case $RPAREN:
-    case $COMMA:
+    case chars.$PERIOD:
+    case chars.$MINUS:
+    case chars.$PLUS:
+    case chars.$STAR:
+    case chars.$SLASH:
+    case chars.$LPAREN:
+    case chars.$RPAREN:
+    case chars.$COMMA:
       return true;
     default:
       return false;
@@ -653,7 +644,7 @@ function isValidStyleFunctionCharacter(code: number): boolean {
 function isValidBlockCharacter(code: number): boolean {
   // @something { }
   // IDENT
-  return code == $AT;
+  return code == chars.$AT;
 }
 
 function isValidCssCharacter(code: number, mode: CssLexerMode): boolean {
@@ -695,20 +686,20 @@ function isValidCssCharacter(code: number, mode: CssLexerMode): boolean {
   }
 }
 
-function charCode(input: any /** TODO #9100 */, index: any /** TODO #9100 */): number {
-  return index >= input.length ? $EOF : StringWrapper.charCodeAt(input, index);
+function charCode(input: string, index: number): number {
+  return index >= input.length ? chars.$EOF : StringWrapper.charCodeAt(input, index);
 }
 
 function charStr(code: number): string {
   return StringWrapper.fromCharCode(code);
 }
 
-export function isNewline(code: any /** TODO #9100 */): boolean {
+export function isNewline(code: number): boolean {
   switch (code) {
-    case $FF:
-    case $CR:
-    case $LF:
-    case $VTAB:
+    case chars.$FF:
+    case chars.$CR:
+    case chars.$LF:
+    case chars.$VTAB:
       return true;
 
     default:
diff --git a/modules/@angular/compiler/src/css_parser.ts b/modules/@angular/compiler/src/css_parser.ts
index 258d7d4da0..fd629504e8 100644
--- a/modules/@angular/compiler/src/css_parser.ts
+++ b/modules/@angular/compiler/src/css_parser.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
-import {$AT, $COLON, $COMMA, $EOF, $GT, $LBRACE, $LBRACKET, $LPAREN, $PLUS, $RBRACE, $RBRACKET, $RPAREN, $SEMICOLON, $SLASH, $SPACE, $TAB, $TILDA, CssLexerMode, CssScanner, CssScannerError, CssToken, CssTokenType, generateErrorMessage, isNewline, isWhitespace} from './css_lexer';
-import {NumberWrapper, StringWrapper, isPresent} from './facade/lang';
+import * as chars from './chars';
+import {CssLexerMode, CssScanner, CssToken, CssTokenType, generateErrorMessage, isNewline} from './css_lexer';
+import {isPresent} from './facade/lang';
 import {ParseError, ParseLocation, ParseSourceFile, ParseSourceSpan} from './parse_util';
 
 const SPACE_OPERATOR = ' ';
@@ -43,13 +44,13 @@ function _pseudoSelectorSupportsInnerSelectors(name: string): boolean {
 
 function isSelectorOperatorCharacter(code: number): boolean {
   switch (code) {
-    case $SLASH:
-    case $TILDA:
-    case $PLUS:
-    case $GT:
+    case chars.$SLASH:
+    case chars.$TILDA:
+    case chars.$PLUS:
+    case chars.$GT:
       return true;
     default:
-      return isWhitespace(code);
+      return chars.isWhitespace(code);
   }
 }
 
@@ -69,22 +70,22 @@ function getDelimFromToken(token: CssToken): number {
 
 function getDelimFromCharacter(code: number): number {
   switch (code) {
-    case $EOF:
+    case chars.$EOF:
       return EOF_DELIM_FLAG;
-    case $COMMA:
+    case chars.$COMMA:
       return COMMA_DELIM_FLAG;
-    case $COLON:
+    case chars.$COLON:
       return COLON_DELIM_FLAG;
-    case $SEMICOLON:
+    case chars.$SEMICOLON:
       return SEMICOLON_DELIM_FLAG;
-    case $RBRACE:
+    case chars.$RBRACE:
       return RBRACE_DELIM_FLAG;
-    case $LBRACE:
+    case chars.$LBRACE:
       return LBRACE_DELIM_FLAG;
-    case $RPAREN:
+    case chars.$RPAREN:
       return RPAREN_DELIM_FLAG;
-    case $SPACE:
-    case $TAB:
+    case chars.$SPACE:
+    case chars.$TAB:
       return SPACE_DELIM_FLAG;
     default:
       return isNewline(code) ? NEWLINE_DELIM_FLAG : 0;
@@ -187,7 +188,7 @@ export class CssParser {
     const start = this._getScannerIndex();
     var results: any[] /** TODO #9100 */ = [];
     this._scanner.consumeEmptyStatements();
-    while (this._scanner.peek != $EOF) {
+    while (this._scanner.peek != chars.$EOF) {
       this._scanner.setMode(CssLexerMode.BLOCK);
       results.push(this._parseRule(delimiters));
     }
@@ -197,7 +198,7 @@ export class CssParser {
 
   /** @internal */
   _parseRule(delimiters: number): CssRuleAst {
-    if (this._scanner.peek == $AT) {
+    if (this._scanner.peek == chars.$AT) {
       return this._parseAtRule(delimiters);
     }
     return this._parseSelectorRule(delimiters);
@@ -277,7 +278,7 @@ export class CssParser {
 
         this._collectUntilDelim(delimiters | LBRACE_DELIM_FLAG | SEMICOLON_DELIM_FLAG)
             .forEach((token) => { listOfTokens.push(token); });
-        if (this._scanner.peek == $LBRACE) {
+        if (this._scanner.peek == chars.$LBRACE) {
           listOfTokens.push(this._consume(CssTokenType.Character, '{'));
           this._collectUntilDelim(delimiters | RBRACE_DELIM_FLAG | LBRACE_DELIM_FLAG)
               .forEach((token) => { listOfTokens.push(token); });
@@ -387,7 +388,7 @@ export class CssParser {
     delimiters |= LBRACE_DELIM_FLAG;
     while (!characterContainsDelimiter(this._scanner.peek, delimiters)) {
       stepTokens.push(this._parseKeyframeLabel(delimiters | COMMA_DELIM_FLAG));
-      if (this._scanner.peek != $LBRACE) {
+      if (this._scanner.peek != chars.$LBRACE) {
         this._consume(CssTokenType.Character, ',');
       }
     }
@@ -415,7 +416,7 @@ export class CssParser {
     var startToken = this._consume(CssTokenType.Character, ':');
     var tokens = [startToken];
 
-    if (this._scanner.peek == $COLON) {  // ::something
+    if (this._scanner.peek == chars.$COLON) {  // ::something
       startToken = this._consume(CssTokenType.Character, ':');
       tokens.push(startToken);
     }
@@ -430,7 +431,7 @@ export class CssParser {
     tokens.push(pseudoSelectorToken);
 
     // host(), lang(), nth-child(), etc...
-    if (this._scanner.peek == $LPAREN) {
+    if (this._scanner.peek == chars.$LPAREN) {
       this._scanner.setMode(CssLexerMode.PSEUDO_SELECTOR_WITH_ARGUMENTS);
 
       var openParenToken = this._consume(CssTokenType.Character, '(');
@@ -491,13 +492,13 @@ export class CssParser {
       var peek = this._scanner.peek;
 
       switch (peek) {
-        case $COLON:
+        case chars.$COLON:
           var innerPseudo = this._parsePseudoSelector(delimiters);
           pseudoSelectors.push(innerPseudo);
           this._scanner.setMode(CssLexerMode.SELECTOR);
           break;
 
-        case $LBRACKET:
+        case chars.$LBRACKET:
           // we set the mode after the scan because attribute mode does not
           // allow attribute [] values. And this also will catch any errors
           // if an extra "[" is used inside.
@@ -505,7 +506,7 @@ export class CssParser {
           this._scanner.setMode(CssLexerMode.ATTRIBUTE_SELECTOR);
           break;
 
-        case $RBRACKET:
+        case chars.$RBRACKET:
           if (this._scanner.getMode() != CssLexerMode.ATTRIBUTE_SELECTOR) {
             hasAttributeError = true;
           }
@@ -580,7 +581,7 @@ export class CssParser {
 
             case GT_CHARACTER:
               // >>> operator
-              if (this._scanner.peek == $GT && this._scanner.peekPeek == $GT) {
+              if (this._scanner.peek == chars.$GT && this._scanner.peekPeek == chars.$GT) {
                 this._consume(CssTokenType.Character, GT_CHARACTER);
                 this._consume(CssTokenType.Character, GT_CHARACTER);
                 token = new CssToken(
@@ -601,7 +602,7 @@ export class CssParser {
     // if we do come across one or more spaces inside of
     // the operators loop then an empty space is still a
     // valid operator to use if something else was not found
-    if (operator == null && operatorScanCount > 0 && this._scanner.peek != $LBRACE) {
+    if (operator == null && operatorScanCount > 0 && this._scanner.peek != chars.$LBRACE) {
       operator = lastOperatorToken;
     }
 
@@ -647,7 +648,7 @@ export class CssParser {
     while (!characterContainsDelimiter(this._scanner.peek, delimiters)) {
       var token: CssToken;
       if (isPresent(previous) && previous.type == CssTokenType.Identifier &&
-          this._scanner.peek == $LPAREN) {
+          this._scanner.peek == chars.$LPAREN) {
         token = this._consume(CssTokenType.Character, '(');
         tokens.push(token);
 
@@ -676,9 +677,9 @@ export class CssParser {
     this._scanner.consumeWhitespace();
 
     var code = this._scanner.peek;
-    if (code == $SEMICOLON) {
+    if (code == chars.$SEMICOLON) {
       this._consume(CssTokenType.Character, ';');
-    } else if (code != $RBRACE) {
+    } else if (code != chars.$RBRACE) {
       this._error(
           generateErrorMessage(
               this._scanner.input, `The CSS key/value definition did not end with a semicolon`,
@@ -734,7 +735,7 @@ export class CssParser {
     this._scanner.setMode(CssLexerMode.STYLE_BLOCK);
 
     var result = this._consume(CssTokenType.Character, '{');
-    if (result.numValue != $LBRACE) {
+    if (result.numValue != chars.$LBRACE) {
       return null;
     }
 
@@ -767,20 +768,20 @@ export class CssParser {
     // there are a few cases as to what could happen if it
     // is missing
     switch (this._scanner.peek) {
-      case $COLON:
+      case chars.$COLON:
         this._consume(CssTokenType.Character, ':');
         parseValue = true;
         break;
 
-      case $SEMICOLON:
-      case $RBRACE:
-      case $EOF:
+      case chars.$SEMICOLON:
+      case chars.$RBRACE:
+      case chars.$EOF:
         parseValue = false;
         break;
 
       default:
         var propStr = [prop.strValue];
-        if (this._scanner.peek != $COLON) {
+        if (this._scanner.peek != chars.$COLON) {
           // this will throw the error
           var nextValue = this._consume(CssTokenType.Character, ':');
           propStr.push(nextValue.strValue);
@@ -795,7 +796,7 @@ export class CssParser {
         }
 
         // this means we've reached the end of the definition and/or block
-        if (this._scanner.peek == $COLON) {
+        if (this._scanner.peek == chars.$COLON) {
           this._consume(CssTokenType.Character, ':');
           parseValue = true;
         } else {
@@ -960,8 +961,6 @@ export class CssSelectorAst extends CssSelectorPartAst {
 }
 
 export class CssSimpleSelectorAst extends CssSelectorPartAst {
-  public selectorStrValue: string;
-
   constructor(
       start: number, end: number, public tokens: CssToken[], public strValue: string,
       public pseudoSelectors: CssPseudoSelectorAst[], public operator: CssToken) {
diff --git a/modules/@angular/compiler/src/expression_parser/lexer.ts b/modules/@angular/compiler/src/expression_parser/lexer.ts
index 2da9a14778..93f13698a1 100644
--- a/modules/@angular/compiler/src/expression_parser/lexer.ts
+++ b/modules/@angular/compiler/src/expression_parser/lexer.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import {Injectable} from '@angular/core';
-
+import * as chars from '../chars';
 import {SetWrapper} from '../facade/collection';
 import {BaseException} from '../facade/exceptions';
 import {NumberWrapper, StringJoiner, StringWrapper, isPresent} from '../facade/lang';
@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@ export enum TokenType {
   Number
 }
 
+const KEYWORDS = ['var', 'let', 'null', 'undefined', 'true', 'false', 'if', 'else'];
+
 @Injectable()
 export class Lexer {
   tokenize(text: string): any[] {
@@ -109,58 +111,8 @@ function newNumberToken(index: number, n: number): Token {
   return new Token(index, TokenType.Number, n, '');
 }
 
-
 export var EOF: Token = new Token(-1, TokenType.Character, 0, '');
 
-export const $EOF = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 0;
-export const $TAB = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 9;
-export const $LF = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 10;
-export const $VTAB = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 11;
-export const $FF = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 12;
-export const $CR = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 13;
-export const $SPACE = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 32;
-export const $BANG = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 33;
-export const $DQ = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 34;
-export const $HASH = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 35;
-export const $$ = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 36;
-export const $PERCENT = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 37;
-export const $AMPERSAND = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 38;
-export const $SQ = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 39;
-export const $LPAREN = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 40;
-export const $RPAREN = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 41;
-export const $STAR = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 42;
-export const $PLUS = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 43;
-export const $COMMA = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 44;
-export const $MINUS = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 45;
-export const $PERIOD = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 46;
-export const $SLASH = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 47;
-export const $COLON = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 58;
-export const $SEMICOLON = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 59;
-export const $LT = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 60;
-export const $EQ = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 61;
-export const $GT = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 62;
-export const $QUESTION = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 63;
-
-const $0 = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 48;
-const $9 = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 57;
-
-const $A = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 65, $E = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 69, $Z = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 90;
-
-export const $LBRACKET = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 91;
-export const $BACKSLASH = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 92;
-export const $RBRACKET = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 93;
-const $CARET = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 94;
-const $_ = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 95;
-export const $BT = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 96;
-const $a = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 97, $e = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 101, $f = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 102;
-const $n = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 110, $r = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 114, $t = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 116,
-      $u = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 117, $v = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 118, $z = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 122;
-
-export const $LBRACE = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 123;
-export const $BAR = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 124;
-export const $RBRACE = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 125;
-const $NBSP = /*@ts2dart_const*/ 160;
-
 export class ScannerError extends BaseException {
   constructor(public message: string) { super(); }
 
@@ -179,16 +131,16 @@ class _Scanner {
 
   advance() {
     this.peek =
-        ++this.index >= this.length ? $EOF : StringWrapper.charCodeAt(this.input, this.index);
+        ++this.index >= this.length ? chars.$EOF : StringWrapper.charCodeAt(this.input, this.index);
   }
 
   scanToken(): Token {
     var input = this.input, length = this.length, peek = this.peek, index = this.index;
 
     // Skip whitespace.
-    while (peek <= $SPACE) {
+    while (peek <= chars.$SPACE) {
       if (++index >= length) {
-        peek = $EOF;
+        peek = chars.$EOF;
         break;
       } else {
         peek = StringWrapper.charCodeAt(input, index);
@@ -204,49 +156,50 @@ class _Scanner {
 
     // Handle identifiers and numbers.
     if (isIdentifierStart(peek)) return this.scanIdentifier();
-    if (isDigit(peek)) return this.scanNumber(index);
+    if (chars.isDigit(peek)) return this.scanNumber(index);
 
     var start: number = index;
     switch (peek) {
-      case $PERIOD:
+      case chars.$PERIOD:
         this.advance();
-        return isDigit(this.peek) ? this.scanNumber(start) : newCharacterToken(start, $PERIOD);
-      case $LPAREN:
-      case $RPAREN:
-      case $LBRACE:
-      case $RBRACE:
-      case $LBRACKET:
-      case $RBRACKET:
-      case $COMMA:
-      case $COLON:
-      case $SEMICOLON:
+        return chars.isDigit(this.peek) ? this.scanNumber(start) :
+                                          newCharacterToken(start, chars.$PERIOD);
+      case chars.$LPAREN:
+      case chars.$RPAREN:
+      case chars.$LBRACE:
+      case chars.$RBRACE:
+      case chars.$LBRACKET:
+      case chars.$RBRACKET:
+      case chars.$COMMA:
+      case chars.$COLON:
+      case chars.$SEMICOLON:
         return this.scanCharacter(start, peek);
-      case $SQ:
-      case $DQ:
+      case chars.$SQ:
+      case chars.$DQ:
         return this.scanString();
-      case $HASH:
-      case $PLUS:
-      case $MINUS:
-      case $STAR:
-      case $SLASH:
-      case $PERCENT:
-      case $CARET:
+      case chars.$HASH:
+      case chars.$PLUS:
+      case chars.$MINUS:
+      case chars.$STAR:
+      case chars.$SLASH:
+      case chars.$PERCENT:
+      case chars.$CARET:
         return this.scanOperator(start, StringWrapper.fromCharCode(peek));
-      case $QUESTION:
-        return this.scanComplexOperator(start, '?', $PERIOD, '.');
-      case $LT:
-      case $GT:
-        return this.scanComplexOperator(start, StringWrapper.fromCharCode(peek), $EQ, '=');
-      case $BANG:
-      case $EQ:
+      case chars.$QUESTION:
+        return this.scanComplexOperator(start, '?', chars.$PERIOD, '.');
+      case chars.$LT:
+      case chars.$GT:
+        return this.scanComplexOperator(start, StringWrapper.fromCharCode(peek), chars.$EQ, '=');
+      case chars.$BANG:
+      case chars.$EQ:
         return this.scanComplexOperator(
-            start, StringWrapper.fromCharCode(peek), $EQ, '=', $EQ, '=');
-      case $AMPERSAND:
-        return this.scanComplexOperator(start, '&', $AMPERSAND, '&');
-      case $BAR:
-        return this.scanComplexOperator(start, '|', $BAR, '|');
-      case $NBSP:
-        while (isWhitespace(this.peek)) this.advance();
+            start, StringWrapper.fromCharCode(peek), chars.$EQ, '=', chars.$EQ, '=');
+      case chars.$AMPERSAND:
+        return this.scanComplexOperator(start, '&', chars.$AMPERSAND, '&');
+      case chars.$BAR:
+        return this.scanComplexOperator(start, '|', chars.$BAR, '|');
+      case chars.$NBSP:
+        while (chars.isWhitespace(this.peek)) this.advance();
         return this.scanToken();
     }
 
@@ -297,25 +250,22 @@ class _Scanner {
     this.advance();
     while (isIdentifierPart(this.peek)) this.advance();
     var str: string = this.input.substring(start, this.index);
-    if (SetWrapper.has(KEYWORDS, str)) {
-      return newKeywordToken(start, str);
-    } else {
-      return newIdentifierToken(start, str);
-    }
+    return KEYWORDS.indexOf(str) > -1 ? newKeywordToken(start, str) :
+                                        newIdentifierToken(start, str);
   }
 
   scanNumber(start: number): Token {
     var simple: boolean = (this.index === start);
     this.advance();  // Skip initial digit.
     while (true) {
-      if (isDigit(this.peek)) {
+      if (chars.isDigit(this.peek)) {
         // Do nothing.
-      } else if (this.peek == $PERIOD) {
+      } else if (this.peek == chars.$PERIOD) {
         simple = false;
       } else if (isExponentStart(this.peek)) {
         this.advance();
         if (isExponentSign(this.peek)) this.advance();
-        if (!isDigit(this.peek)) this.error('Invalid exponent', -1);
+        if (!chars.isDigit(this.peek)) this.error('Invalid exponent', -1);
         simple = false;
       } else {
         break;
@@ -323,7 +273,6 @@ class _Scanner {
       this.advance();
     }
     var str: string = this.input.substring(start, this.index);
-    // TODO
     var value: number =
         simple ? NumberWrapper.parseIntAutoRadix(str) : NumberWrapper.parseFloat(str);
     return newNumberToken(start, value);
@@ -339,12 +288,12 @@ class _Scanner {
     var input: string = this.input;
 
     while (this.peek != quote) {
-      if (this.peek == $BACKSLASH) {
+      if (this.peek == chars.$BACKSLASH) {
         if (buffer == null) buffer = new StringJoiner();
         buffer.add(input.substring(marker, this.index));
         this.advance();
         var unescapedCode: number;
-        if (this.peek == $u) {
+        if (this.peek == chars.$u) {
           // 4 character hex code for unicode character.
           var hex: string = input.substring(this.index + 1, this.index + 5);
           try {
@@ -361,7 +310,7 @@ class _Scanner {
         }
         buffer.add(StringWrapper.fromCharCode(unescapedCode));
         marker = this.index;
-      } else if (this.peek == $EOF) {
+      } else if (this.peek == chars.$EOF) {
         this.error('Unterminated quote', 0);
       } else {
         this.advance();
@@ -387,12 +336,9 @@ class _Scanner {
   }
 }
 
-function isWhitespace(code: number): boolean {
-  return (code >= $TAB && code <= $SPACE) || (code == $NBSP);
-}
-
 function isIdentifierStart(code: number): boolean {
-  return ($a <= code && code <= $z) || ($A <= code && code <= $Z) || (code == $_) || (code == $$);
+  return (chars.$a <= code && code <= chars.$z) || (chars.$A <= code && code <= chars.$Z) ||
+      (code == chars.$_) || (code == chars.$$);
 }
 
 export function isIdentifier(input: string): boolean {
@@ -400,7 +346,7 @@ export function isIdentifier(input: string): boolean {
   var scanner = new _Scanner(input);
   if (!isIdentifierStart(scanner.peek)) return false;
   scanner.advance();
-  while (scanner.peek !== $EOF) {
+  while (scanner.peek !== chars.$EOF) {
     if (!isIdentifierPart(scanner.peek)) return false;
     scanner.advance();
   }
@@ -408,48 +354,35 @@ export function isIdentifier(input: string): boolean {
 }
 
 function isIdentifierPart(code: number): boolean {
-  return ($a <= code && code <= $z) || ($A <= code && code <= $Z) || ($0 <= code && code <= $9) ||
-      (code == $_) || (code == $$);
-}
-
-function isDigit(code: number): boolean {
-  return $0 <= code && code <= $9;
+  return chars.isAsciiLetter(code) || chars.isDigit(code) || (code == chars.$_) ||
+      (code == chars.$$);
 }
 
 function isExponentStart(code: number): boolean {
-  return code == $e || code == $E;
+  return code == chars.$e || code == chars.$E;
 }
 
 function isExponentSign(code: number): boolean {
-  return code == $MINUS || code == $PLUS;
+  return code == chars.$MINUS || code == chars.$PLUS;
 }
 
 export function isQuote(code: number): boolean {
-  return code === $SQ || code === $DQ || code === $BT;
+  return code === chars.$SQ || code === chars.$DQ || code === chars.$BT;
 }
 
 function unescape(code: number): number {
   switch (code) {
-    case $n:
-      return $LF;
-    case $f:
-      return $FF;
-    case $r:
-      return $CR;
-    case $t:
-      return $TAB;
-    case $v:
-      return $VTAB;
+    case chars.$n:
+      return chars.$LF;
+    case chars.$f:
+      return chars.$FF;
+    case chars.$r:
+      return chars.$CR;
+    case chars.$t:
+      return chars.$TAB;
+    case chars.$v:
+      return chars.$VTAB;
     default:
       return code;
   }
-}
-
-var OPERATORS = SetWrapper.createFromList([
-  '+', '-',  '*',  '/',  '%',  '^', '=', '==', '!=', '===', '!==', '<',
-  '>', '<=', '>=', '&&', '||', '&', '|', '!',  '?',  '#',   '?.'
-]);
-
-
-var KEYWORDS =
-    SetWrapper.createFromList(['var', 'let', 'null', 'undefined', 'true', 'false', 'if', 'else']);
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/modules/@angular/compiler/src/expression_parser/parser.ts b/modules/@angular/compiler/src/expression_parser/parser.ts
index a4834f2e99..eff52a71e7 100644
--- a/modules/@angular/compiler/src/expression_parser/parser.ts
+++ b/modules/@angular/compiler/src/expression_parser/parser.ts
@@ -1,12 +1,13 @@
 import {Injectable} from '@angular/core';
 
+import * as chars from '../chars';
 import {ListWrapper} from '../facade/collection';
 import {BaseException} from '../facade/exceptions';
 import {RegExpWrapper, StringWrapper, escapeRegExp, isBlank, isPresent} from '../facade/lang';
 import {DEFAULT_INTERPOLATION_CONFIG, InterpolationConfig} from '../interpolation_config';
 
 import {AST, ASTWithSource, AstVisitor, Binary, BindingPipe, Chain, Conditional, EmptyExpr, FunctionCall, ImplicitReceiver, Interpolation, KeyedRead, KeyedWrite, LiteralArray, LiteralMap, LiteralPrimitive, MethodCall, PrefixNot, PropertyRead, PropertyWrite, Quote, SafeMethodCall, SafePropertyRead, TemplateBinding} from './ast';
-import {$COLON, $COMMA, $LBRACE, $LBRACKET, $LPAREN, $PERIOD, $RBRACE, $RBRACKET, $RPAREN, $SEMICOLON, $SLASH, EOF, Lexer, Token, isIdentifier, isQuote} from './lexer';
+import {EOF, Lexer, Token, isIdentifier, isQuote} from './lexer';
 
 
 var _implicitReceiver = new ImplicitReceiver();
@@ -152,7 +153,7 @@ export class Parser {
       let char = StringWrapper.charCodeAt(input, i);
       let nextChar = StringWrapper.charCodeAt(input, i + 1);
 
-      if (char === $SLASH && nextChar == $SLASH && isBlank(outerQuote)) return i;
+      if (char === chars.$SLASH && nextChar == chars.$SLASH && isBlank(outerQuote)) return i;
 
       if (outerQuote === char) {
         outerQuote = null;
@@ -267,11 +268,11 @@ export class _ParseAST {
       var expr = this.parsePipe();
       exprs.push(expr);
 
-      if (this.optionalCharacter($SEMICOLON)) {
+      if (this.optionalCharacter(chars.$SEMICOLON)) {
         if (!this.parseAction) {
           this.error('Binding expression cannot contain chained expression');
         }
-        while (this.optionalCharacter($SEMICOLON)) {
+        while (this.optionalCharacter(chars.$SEMICOLON)) {
         }  // read all semicolons
       } else if (this.index < this.tokens.length) {
         this.error(`Unexpected token '${this.next}'`);
@@ -292,7 +293,7 @@ export class _ParseAST {
       do {
         var name = this.expectIdentifierOrKeyword();
         var args: AST[] = [];
-        while (this.optionalCharacter($COLON)) {
+        while (this.optionalCharacter(chars.$COLON)) {
           args.push(this.parseExpression());
         }
         result = new BindingPipe(result, name, args);
@@ -310,7 +311,7 @@ export class _ParseAST {
 
     if (this.optionalOperator('?')) {
       var yes = this.parsePipe();
-      if (!this.optionalCharacter($COLON)) {
+      if (!this.optionalCharacter(chars.$COLON)) {
         var end = this.inputIndex;
         var expression = this.input.substring(start, end);
         this.error(`Conditional expression ${expression} requires all 3 expressions`);
@@ -421,15 +422,15 @@ export class _ParseAST {
   parseCallChain(): AST {
     var result = this.parsePrimary();
     while (true) {
-      if (this.optionalCharacter($PERIOD)) {
+      if (this.optionalCharacter(chars.$PERIOD)) {
         result = this.parseAccessMemberOrMethodCall(result, false);
 
       } else if (this.optionalOperator('?.')) {
         result = this.parseAccessMemberOrMethodCall(result, true);
 
-      } else if (this.optionalCharacter($LBRACKET)) {
+      } else if (this.optionalCharacter(chars.$LBRACKET)) {
         var key = this.parsePipe();
-        this.expectCharacter($RBRACKET);
+        this.expectCharacter(chars.$RBRACKET);
         if (this.optionalOperator('=')) {
           var value = this.parseConditional();
           result = new KeyedWrite(result, key, value);
@@ -437,9 +438,9 @@ export class _ParseAST {
           result = new KeyedRead(result, key);
         }
 
-      } else if (this.optionalCharacter($LPAREN)) {
+      } else if (this.optionalCharacter(chars.$LPAREN)) {
         var args = this.parseCallArguments();
-        this.expectCharacter($RPAREN);
+        this.expectCharacter(chars.$RPAREN);
         result = new FunctionCall(result, args);
 
       } else {
@@ -449,9 +450,9 @@ export class _ParseAST {
   }
 
   parsePrimary(): AST {
-    if (this.optionalCharacter($LPAREN)) {
+    if (this.optionalCharacter(chars.$LPAREN)) {
       let result = this.parsePipe();
-      this.expectCharacter($RPAREN);
+      this.expectCharacter(chars.$RPAREN);
       return result;
     } else if (this.next.isKeywordNull() || this.next.isKeywordUndefined()) {
       this.advance();
@@ -465,12 +466,12 @@ export class _ParseAST {
       this.advance();
       return new LiteralPrimitive(false);
 
-    } else if (this.optionalCharacter($LBRACKET)) {
-      var elements = this.parseExpressionList($RBRACKET);
-      this.expectCharacter($RBRACKET);
+    } else if (this.optionalCharacter(chars.$LBRACKET)) {
+      var elements = this.parseExpressionList(chars.$RBRACKET);
+      this.expectCharacter(chars.$RBRACKET);
       return new LiteralArray(elements);
 
-    } else if (this.next.isCharacter($LBRACE)) {
+    } else if (this.next.isCharacter(chars.$LBRACE)) {
       return this.parseLiteralMap();
 
     } else if (this.next.isIdentifier()) {
@@ -501,7 +502,7 @@ export class _ParseAST {
     if (!this.next.isCharacter(terminator)) {
       do {
         result.push(this.parsePipe());
-      } while (this.optionalCharacter($COMMA));
+      } while (this.optionalCharacter(chars.$COMMA));
     }
     return result;
   }
@@ -509,15 +510,15 @@ export class _ParseAST {
   parseLiteralMap(): LiteralMap {
     var keys: string[] = [];
     var values: AST[] = [];
-    this.expectCharacter($LBRACE);
-    if (!this.optionalCharacter($RBRACE)) {
+    this.expectCharacter(chars.$LBRACE);
+    if (!this.optionalCharacter(chars.$RBRACE)) {
       do {
         var key = this.expectIdentifierOrKeywordOrString();
         keys.push(key);
-        this.expectCharacter($COLON);
+        this.expectCharacter(chars.$COLON);
         values.push(this.parsePipe());
-      } while (this.optionalCharacter($COMMA));
-      this.expectCharacter($RBRACE);
+      } while (this.optionalCharacter(chars.$COMMA));
+      this.expectCharacter(chars.$RBRACE);
     }
     return new LiteralMap(keys, values);
   }
@@ -525,9 +526,9 @@ export class _ParseAST {
   parseAccessMemberOrMethodCall(receiver: AST, isSafe: boolean = false): AST {
     let id = this.expectIdentifierOrKeyword();
 
-    if (this.optionalCharacter($LPAREN)) {
+    if (this.optionalCharacter(chars.$LPAREN)) {
       let args = this.parseCallArguments();
-      this.expectCharacter($RPAREN);
+      this.expectCharacter(chars.$RPAREN);
       return isSafe ? new SafeMethodCall(receiver, id, args) : new MethodCall(receiver, id, args);
 
     } else {
@@ -555,11 +556,11 @@ export class _ParseAST {
   }
 
   parseCallArguments(): BindingPipe[] {
-    if (this.next.isCharacter($RPAREN)) return [];
+    if (this.next.isCharacter(chars.$RPAREN)) return [];
     var positionals: AST[] = [];
     do {
       positionals.push(this.parsePipe());
-    } while (this.optionalCharacter($COMMA));
+    } while (this.optionalCharacter(chars.$COMMA));
     return positionals as BindingPipe[];
   }
 
@@ -605,7 +606,7 @@ export class _ParseAST {
           key = prefix + key[0].toUpperCase() + key.substring(1);
         }
       }
-      this.optionalCharacter($COLON);
+      this.optionalCharacter(chars.$COLON);
       var name: string = null;
       var expression: ASTWithSource = null;
       if (keyIsVar) {
@@ -623,8 +624,8 @@ export class _ParseAST {
         expression = new ASTWithSource(ast, source, this.location);
       }
       bindings.push(new TemplateBinding(key, keyIsVar, name, expression));
-      if (!this.optionalCharacter($SEMICOLON)) {
-        this.optionalCharacter($COMMA);
+      if (!this.optionalCharacter(chars.$SEMICOLON)) {
+        this.optionalCharacter(chars.$COMMA);
       }
     }
     return new TemplateBindingParseResult(bindings, warnings);
diff --git a/modules/@angular/compiler/src/html_lexer.ts b/modules/@angular/compiler/src/html_lexer.ts
index 2211035b99..b10431dd13 100644
--- a/modules/@angular/compiler/src/html_lexer.ts
+++ b/modules/@angular/compiler/src/html_lexer.ts
@@ -266,13 +266,13 @@ class _HtmlTokenizer {
     }
   }
 
-  private _attemptCharCodeUntilFn(predicate: Function) {
+  private _attemptCharCodeUntilFn(predicate: (code: number) => boolean) {
     while (!predicate(this._peek)) {
       this._advance();
     }
   }
 
-  private _requireCharCodeUntilFn(predicate: Function, len: number) {
+  private _requireCharCodeUntilFn(predicate: (code: number) => boolean, len: number) {
     var start = this._getLocation();
     this._attemptCharCodeUntilFn(predicate);
     if (this._index - start.offset < len) {
@@ -402,7 +402,7 @@ class _HtmlTokenizer {
     let savedPos = this._savePosition();
     let lowercaseTagName: string;
     try {
-      if (!isAsciiLetter(this._peek)) {
+      if (!chars.isAsciiLetter(this._peek)) {
         throw this._createError(unexpectedCharacterErrorMsg(this._peek), this._getSpan());
       }
       var nameStart = this._index;
@@ -635,16 +635,12 @@ class _HtmlTokenizer {
 }
 
 function isNotWhitespace(code: number): boolean {
-  return !isWhitespace(code) || code === chars.$EOF;
-}
-
-function isWhitespace(code: number): boolean {
-  return (code >= chars.$TAB && code <= chars.$SPACE) || (code === chars.$NBSP);
+  return !chars.isWhitespace(code) || code === chars.$EOF;
 }
 
 function isNameEnd(code: number): boolean {
-  return isWhitespace(code) || code === chars.$GT || code === chars.$SLASH || code === chars.$SQ ||
-      code === chars.$DQ || code === chars.$EQ;
+  return chars.isWhitespace(code) || code === chars.$GT || code === chars.$SLASH ||
+      code === chars.$SQ || code === chars.$DQ || code === chars.$EQ;
 }
 
 function isPrefixEnd(code: number): boolean {
@@ -653,11 +649,11 @@ function isPrefixEnd(code: number): boolean {
 }
 
 function isDigitEntityEnd(code: number): boolean {
-  return code == chars.$SEMICOLON || code == chars.$EOF || !isAsciiHexDigit(code);
+  return code == chars.$SEMICOLON || code == chars.$EOF || !chars.isAsciiHexDigit(code);
 }
 
 function isNamedEntityEnd(code: number): boolean {
-  return code == chars.$SEMICOLON || code == chars.$EOF || !isAsciiLetter(code);
+  return code == chars.$SEMICOLON || code == chars.$EOF || !chars.isAsciiLetter(code);
 }
 
 function isExpansionFormStart(input: string, offset: number, interpolationStart: string): boolean {
@@ -668,16 +664,7 @@ function isExpansionFormStart(input: string, offset: number, interpolationStart:
 }
 
 function isExpansionCaseStart(peek: number): boolean {
-  return peek === chars.$EQ || isAsciiLetter(peek);
-}
-
-function isAsciiLetter(code: number): boolean {
-  return code >= chars.$a && code <= chars.$z || code >= chars.$A && code <= chars.$Z;
-}
-
-function isAsciiHexDigit(code: number): boolean {
-  return code >= chars.$a && code <= chars.$f || code >= chars.$A && code <= chars.$F ||
-      code >= chars.$0 && code <= chars.$9;
+  return peek === chars.$EQ || chars.isAsciiLetter(peek);
 }
 
 function compareCharCodeCaseInsensitive(code1: number, code2: number): boolean {