Used primarily in research settings as a metabolic intermediate and reference standard in analytical testing. It serves as a model compound for studying methylxanthine metabolism, particularly in relation to caffeine and its derivatives. Due to its structural similarity to caffeine, it is sometimes employed in pharmacological studies to understand the effects of methylated xanthines on enzyme activity and receptor binding, especially concerning adenosine receptors. It may also be used in the development and validation of bioanalytical methods such as HPLC or mass spectrometry for detecting xanthine derivatives in biological samples.