Used as a key intermediate in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, particularly in the production of nicotinic receptor ligands and smoking cessation agents. It serves as a building block in the development of compounds targeting neurological disorders due to its structural similarity to nicotine. Also employed in the preparation of pyridine-containing polymers and functionalized ligands for catalysis. Its hydroxyl group allows for easy derivatization, making it valuable in medicinal chemistry for creating analogs and probing structure-activity relationships.