Used as a glycosyl donor in carbohydrate chemistry, particularly in the synthesis of oligosaccharides and glycoconjugates. Its protected acetyl groups allow selective deprotection and coupling reactions, making it valuable in the preparation of complex sugar structures for pharmaceutical research, including vaccine development and studies on cell surface recognition. The 4-methoxyphenyl aglycone enhances stability and can act as a chromophore for detection during purification. Commonly employed in enzymatic and chemical glycosylation studies due to its reactivity and solubility properties.