Used as a protected form of 3-hydroxyazetidine in medicinal chemistry, particularly in the synthesis of biologically active compounds. Its strained bicyclic structure serves as a scaffold for ring-opening or functionalization reactions, enabling access to substituted azetidines and other nitrogen-containing heterocycles. Commonly employed in the development of pharmaceuticals where azetidine moieties are needed to modulate metabolic stability, solubility, or binding affinity. The tert-butyl carbamate (Boc) group allows for easy deprotection under mild acidic conditions, making it suitable for multi-step syntheses. Also utilized in the preparation of enzyme inhibitors and receptor modulators due to the conformational rigidity it imparts.