Used primarily as a research chemical in forensic and pharmaceutical studies, this compound is of interest due to its structural similarity to controlled substances, particularly as a potential synthetic intermediate or metabolite in the development of psychoactive compounds. It has been identified in some cases as a component in the analysis of designer drugs, aiding in the detection and differentiation of new psychoactive substances. Its ester and hydroxy functional groups make it suitable for use in metabolic stability studies and in probing enzymatic pathways. Due to its complex structure, it also serves as a reference standard in mass spectrometry and chromatography for identifying related ester-containing compounds in biological samples.