Used as an intermediate in organic synthesis, particularly in the preparation of liquid crystals and pharmaceuticals. Its structure supports the formation of conjugated systems, making it valuable in the development of electronic materials and optoelectronic devices. Commonly employed in coupling reactions such as Suzuki or Ullmann reactions to build biaryl frameworks. Also utilized in the synthesis of nonlinear optical materials due to the presence of electron-withdrawing nitro group and polarizable iodine atom.