Diethyl pyrocarbonate (DEPC) is primarily used as a preservative in beverages, particularly non-alcoholic drinks like soft drinks and fruit juices, where it effectively inhibits the growth of microorganisms such as bacteria and yeast, ensuring longer shelf life. It is also employed in the pharmaceutical industry to sterilize solutions without compromising their integrity and in cosmetics to prevent microbial contamination. Additionally, it serves as a reagent in organic synthesis, particularly for the modification of nucleic acids and proteins through carbethoxylation. Its ability to inactivate enzymes, especially RNases, makes it valuable in biochemical and molecular biology research for studying enzyme functions, interactions, and preparing RNase-free solutions. However, it should be used with caution as it can decompose to ethanol and CO2, potentially leaving residues.