Used in the synthesis of pharmaceutical intermediates, particularly in the production of chiral compounds for drug development. Serves as a building block in asymmetric synthesis due to its stereochemical properties. Employed in research settings for the preparation of fluorinated analogs of biologically active molecules. Also utilized in the development of radiotracers for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging when labeled with fluorine-18. Its structural features make it valuable in studying metabolic pathways and enzyme interactions involving fluorinated substrates.