Used in the synthesis of pharmaceutical intermediates, particularly in the development of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory agents. It serves as a building block in organic synthesis due to its reactive hydroxyl and carboxylic acid groups, enabling coupling reactions and ring modifications. Also employed in the preparation of natural product analogs and in research related to metabolic pathways of aromatic compounds. Its chloro and dihydroxy substitution pattern makes it valuable for studying electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions and enzyme inhibition.