Used as an intermediate in the synthesis of functional organic materials, particularly in the development of fluorescent dyes and coordination polymers. Its nitro and ester functional groups allow for selective chemical modifications, making it valuable in constructing complex molecular architectures. Commonly employed in research settings to prepare ligands for metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with potential applications in sensing and catalysis. Also serves as a building block in pharmaceutical chemistry for designing bioactive compounds due to its aromatic and electron-withdrawing properties.