Used as a chiral building block in the synthesis of pharmaceutical intermediates, particularly in the development of protease inhibitors and other bioactive molecules. Its ortho-hydroxyphenyl group allows for chelation and participation in directed reactions, enhancing stereoselectivity during transformations. Commonly employed in peptide mimetic design due to the protected amine and carboxylic acid functionalities, enabling selective coupling and deprotection steps in multi-step syntheses. Also utilized in the preparation of enzyme inhibitors where aromatic and amino acid features are required for target binding.