diff --git a/modules/@angular/compiler/src/output/abstract_emitter.ts b/modules/@angular/compiler/src/output/abstract_emitter.ts
index 359867cf2a..54dc6b1981 100644
--- a/modules/@angular/compiler/src/output/abstract_emitter.ts
+++ b/modules/@angular/compiler/src/output/abstract_emitter.ts
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import {StringWrapper, isBlank, isPresent, isString} from '../facade/lang';
 import * as o from './output_ast';
 
 var _SINGLE_QUOTE_ESCAPE_STRING_RE = /'|\\|\n|\r|\$/g;
+var _LEGAL_IDENTIFIER_RE = /^[$A-Z_][0-9A-Z_$]*$/i;
 export var CATCH_ERROR_VAR = o.variable('error');
 export var CATCH_STACK_VAR = o.variable('stack');
 
@@ -253,7 +254,7 @@ export abstract class AbstractEmitterVisitor implements o.StatementVisitor, o.Ex
       any {
     var value = ast.value;
     if (isString(value)) {
-      ctx.print(escapeSingleQuoteString(value, this._escapeDollarInStrings));
+      ctx.print(escapeIdentifier(value, this._escapeDollarInStrings));
     } else if (isBlank(value)) {
       ctx.print(absentValue);
     } else {
@@ -368,7 +369,7 @@ export abstract class AbstractEmitterVisitor implements o.StatementVisitor, o.Ex
     ctx.print(`{`, useNewLine);
     ctx.incIndent();
     this.visitAllObjects((entry: any /** TODO #9100 */) => {
-      ctx.print(`${escapeSingleQuoteString(entry[0], this._escapeDollarInStrings)}: `);
+      ctx.print(`${escapeIdentifier(entry[0], this._escapeDollarInStrings, false)}: `);
       entry[1].visitExpression(this, ctx);
     }, ast.entries, ctx, ',', useNewLine);
     ctx.decIndent();
@@ -403,7 +404,8 @@ export abstract class AbstractEmitterVisitor implements o.StatementVisitor, o.Ex
   }
 }
 
-export function escapeSingleQuoteString(input: string, escapeDollar: boolean): any {
+export function escapeIdentifier(
+    input: string, escapeDollar: boolean, alwaysQuote: boolean = true): any {
   if (isBlank(input)) {
     return null;
   }
@@ -419,7 +421,8 @@ export function escapeSingleQuoteString(input: string, escapeDollar: boolean): a
           return `\\${match[0]}`;
         }
       });
-  return `'${body}'`;
+  let requiresQuotes = alwaysQuote || !_LEGAL_IDENTIFIER_RE.test(body);
+  return requiresQuotes ? `'${body}'` : body;
 }
 
 function _createIndent(count: number): string {
diff --git a/modules/@angular/compiler/test/output/abstract_emitter_spec.ts b/modules/@angular/compiler/test/output/abstract_emitter_spec.ts
index d64edde3c5..d5b885e4b1 100644
--- a/modules/@angular/compiler/test/output/abstract_emitter_spec.ts
+++ b/modules/@angular/compiler/test/output/abstract_emitter_spec.ts
@@ -6,27 +6,30 @@
  * found in the LICENSE file at https://angular.io/license
  */
 
-import {escapeSingleQuoteString} from '@angular/compiler/src/output/abstract_emitter';
+import {escapeIdentifier} from '@angular/compiler/src/output/abstract_emitter';
 import {beforeEach, ddescribe, describe, expect, iit, inject, it, xit} from '@angular/core/testing/testing_internal';
 
 export function main() {
   describe('AbstractEmitter', () => {
-    describe('escapeSingleQuoteString', () => {
+    describe('escapeIdentifier', () => {
       it('should escape single quotes',
-         () => { expect(escapeSingleQuoteString(`'`, false)).toEqual(`'\\''`); });
+         () => { expect(escapeIdentifier(`'`, false)).toEqual(`'\\''`); });
 
       it('should escape backslash',
-         () => { expect(escapeSingleQuoteString('\\', false)).toEqual(`'\\\\'`); });
+         () => { expect(escapeIdentifier('\\', false)).toEqual(`'\\\\'`); });
 
       it('should escape newlines',
-         () => { expect(escapeSingleQuoteString('\n', false)).toEqual(`'\\n'`); });
+         () => { expect(escapeIdentifier('\n', false)).toEqual(`'\\n'`); });
 
       it('should escape carriage returns',
-         () => { expect(escapeSingleQuoteString('\r', false)).toEqual(`'\\r'`); });
+         () => { expect(escapeIdentifier('\r', false)).toEqual(`'\\r'`); });
 
-      it('should escape $', () => { expect(escapeSingleQuoteString('$', true)).toEqual(`'\\$'`); });
-      it('should not escape $',
-         () => { expect(escapeSingleQuoteString('$', false)).toEqual(`'$'`); });
+      it('should escape $', () => { expect(escapeIdentifier('$', true)).toEqual(`'\\$'`); });
+      it('should not escape $', () => { expect(escapeIdentifier('$', false)).toEqual(`'$'`); });
+      it('should add quotes for non-identifiers',
+         () => { expect(escapeIdentifier('==', false, false)).toEqual(`'=='`); });
+      it('does not escape class (but it probably should)',
+         () => { expect(escapeIdentifier('class', false, false)).toEqual('class'); });
     });
 
   });
diff --git a/modules/@angular/compiler/test/output/js_emitter_spec.ts b/modules/@angular/compiler/test/output/js_emitter_spec.ts
index 4a9fbb15ef..77f0a28b70 100644
--- a/modules/@angular/compiler/test/output/js_emitter_spec.ts
+++ b/modules/@angular/compiler/test/output/js_emitter_spec.ts
@@ -104,8 +104,7 @@ export function main() {
       expect(emitStmt(o.literal(true).toStmt())).toEqual('true;');
       expect(emitStmt(o.literal('someStr').toStmt())).toEqual(`'someStr';`);
       expect(emitStmt(o.literalArr([o.literal(1)]).toStmt())).toEqual(`[1];`);
-      expect(emitStmt(o.literalMap([['someKey', o.literal(1)]]).toStmt()))
-          .toEqual(`{'someKey': 1};`);
+      expect(emitStmt(o.literalMap([['someKey', o.literal(1)]]).toStmt())).toEqual(`{someKey: 1};`);
     });
 
     it('should support external identifiers', () => {
diff --git a/modules/@angular/compiler/test/output/ts_emitter_spec.ts b/modules/@angular/compiler/test/output/ts_emitter_spec.ts
index 1799af86d8..562c8dd107 100644
--- a/modules/@angular/compiler/test/output/ts_emitter_spec.ts
+++ b/modules/@angular/compiler/test/output/ts_emitter_spec.ts
@@ -106,8 +106,7 @@ export function main() {
       expect(emitStmt(o.literal(true).toStmt())).toEqual('true;');
       expect(emitStmt(o.literal('someStr').toStmt())).toEqual(`'someStr';`);
       expect(emitStmt(o.literalArr([o.literal(1)]).toStmt())).toEqual(`[1];`);
-      expect(emitStmt(o.literalMap([['someKey', o.literal(1)]]).toStmt()))
-          .toEqual(`{'someKey': 1};`);
+      expect(emitStmt(o.literalMap([['someKey', o.literal(1)]]).toStmt())).toEqual(`{someKey: 1};`);
     });
 
     it('should support external identifiers', () => {