Used in pharmaceutical synthesis as an intermediate for developing bioactive compounds, particularly in the production of antihypertensive and antiviral agents. Serves as a building block in heterocyclic chemistry due to the presence of aldehyde and ester functional groups, enabling diverse derivatization reactions. Applied in research settings for designing imidazole-based drug candidates and enzyme inhibitors. Also utilized in the development of fluorescent probes and sensors owing to its ability to undergo condensation reactions that yield detectable optical signals.