Used primarily as an intermediate in the synthesis of polymers and specialty chemicals. It serves in the production of liquid crystals and engineering plastics due to its rigid cyclohexane backbone and reactive aldehyde groups. Also employed in the preparation of diols and diamines through reduction reactions, which are further used in polyurethane and epoxy resin formulations. Its symmetrical structure makes it valuable in organic synthesis for creating macrocyclic compounds and ligands in coordination chemistry.