Used as a chiral building block in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, particularly in the development of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) requiring high enantiomeric purity. Its structure supports the creation of fluorinated analogs in drug candidates, often explored in central nervous system agents and anti-inflammatory compounds. The amine functionality allows for coupling reactions in multi-step syntheses, making it valuable in medicinal chemistry for structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies. Commonly employed in asymmetric synthesis routes where the (S)-configuration is critical for biological activity.