Used as a chiral building block in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals. Its enantiomerically pure structure makes it valuable in asymmetric synthesis, particularly in the development of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) where stereochemistry is critical. It also serves as an intermediate in the preparation of biodegradable polymers and specialty esters. Additionally, it finds use in research for studying metabolic pathways due to its structural similarity to natural metabolites in the citric acid cycle.