Used as a chiral intermediate in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, particularly in the production of bioactive molecules and central nervous system agents. Its enantiomerically pure structure makes it valuable for developing drugs requiring specific stereochemistry, such as antidepressants, antipsychotics, and enzyme inhibitors. Commonly employed in medicinal chemistry for structure-activity relationship studies due to the presence of functional groups that allow further derivatization. Also utilized in asymmetric synthesis and catalysis research.