2,3-Xylohydroquinone is a useful synthetic intermediate. It was used in the synthesis of mycophenolic acid analogs with IMP dehydrogenase-inhibiting activities. It is a metabolite of butylamino(dimethylphenoxy)propanol, a new adrenergic β-blocking agent.
2,3-Dimethylhydroquinone can be used as an antioxidant for lipid peroxidation. It is also used in the synthesis of benzofuran-5-ols which can further be utilized as antifungal agents in biological applications.
2,3-Dimethylhydroquinone is an alkyl p-hydroquinone that can be used as a chain breaking antioxidant and an electron donor for redox intermediates. It acts as an antioxidant due to its characteristic to terminate kinetic chains on reaction with peroxy radicals.