Used primarily as an intermediate in organic synthesis, especially in the development of pharmaceuticals and bioactive compounds. Its structure supports derivatization for use in drug discovery, particularly in the design of kinase inhibitors and other therapeutic agents targeting cellular processes. The compound's nitro group allows for further chemical modifications, such as reductions to amines, enabling the creation of diverse molecular libraries for screening. It also finds use in the synthesis of fluorescent probes and dyes due to its indole-like framework, which can be tailored for specific optical properties.