Used as an intermediate in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, particularly in the production of antibiotics such as linezolid and other oxazolidinone-class antimicrobial agents. It serves as a building block for constructing nitrogen-containing heterocycles, which are important in drug development. Its hydroxyl and oxazolidine functional groups allow for versatile chemical modifications, making it valuable in medicinal chemistry for creating biologically active compounds. Also employed in the preparation of chiral auxiliaries and catalysts used in asymmetric synthesis.