Used as a pH indicator in laboratory settings, particularly in electrophoresis gels to monitor the progress of separation. It changes color from yellow to blue over the pH range of 3.0 to 4.6, making it useful for visual tracking in acidic conditions. Also serves as a tracking dye in agarose and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, helping to visualize the movement of samples. Commonly included in loading buffers for DNA and protein gels. Additionally used as a color marker in molecular biology to estimate migration rates during electrophoretic runs.