Used as an intermediate in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, particularly in the development of antiviral and anticancer agents. It serves as a building block in the preparation of substituted pyrimidines, which are key structural motifs in various bioactive molecules. Also employed in research for designing enzyme inhibitors and in the study of nucleic acid analogs. Its derivatives show potential in medicinal chemistry due to their ability to interact with biological targets such as kinases and polymerases.