Used as a pH indicator in analytical chemistry, bromothymol blue is particularly effective for detecting weak acids and weak bases. It is commonly employed in laboratory settings to determine the presence of carbon dioxide in solution, as CO₂ dissolves to form carbonic acid, causing a color change from blue to yellow. Frequently used in educational experiments, such as respiration studies in biology, where students exhale into a solution to observe pH changes. Also applied in microbiology for culture media to monitor metabolic activity. Its sharp color transition around neutral pH makes it suitable for titrations involving near-neutral equivalence points.