Used primarily as a key intermediate in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, particularly in the development of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and COX-2 inhibitors. Its rigid polycyclic structure with a cyclic sulfone moiety enhances binding affinity to biological targets, making it valuable in medicinal chemistry. Also employed in the design of fluorescent probes due to its extended aromatic system, which exhibits strong photostability and emission in the visible range. Additionally, it serves as a building block in materials science for creating organic semiconductors and conductive polymers owing to its electron-withdrawing sulfone moiety and planar framework.