The applications of acenaphthylene are mainly in the chemical industry. It is used in the manufacture of dyes pigments plastics and resins. It also serves as a precursor for the synthesis of specialty chemicals and intermediates. In addition acenaphthylene is used in research to study polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their properties including their behavior in the environment.

The purpose of acenaphthylene is primarily as a chemical intermediate in organic synthesis. Due to its reactive double bond it is useful in forming a variety of derivatives that are important in industrial and research applications.

Acenaphthylene is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH). It is obtained mainly from coal tar during the processing of petroleum and appears as a yellowish crystalline solid. Structurally it consists of a naphthalene ring fused with a five-membered ring containing a double bond which makes it more chemically reactive than acenaphthene.