Used as an intermediate in the synthesis of quinolone antibiotics, particularly in the production of fluoroquinolone drugs which exhibit broad-spectrum antibacterial activity. Its structure serves as a core scaffold for building active pharmaceutical ingredients targeting DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV in bacteria. Commonly employed in medicinal chemistry research for developing new anti-infective agents with improved potency and reduced resistance. Also utilized in the preparation of fluorescent probes due to the inherent photophysical properties of the quinoline ring system, enabling applications in bioimaging and molecular sensing.