Used primarily as an intermediate in organic synthesis, especially in the pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries. It is the tetrahydropyranyl (THP) protected form of glycolic acid (hydroxyacetic acid), where the THP group acts as a protecting group for the hydroxy functionality. This protection allows selective reactions to occur at the carboxylic acid group in complex molecule synthesis without interference from the hydroxy group. It is particularly useful in multi-step syntheses of natural products and bioactive molecules where controlled deprotection is required under mild acidic conditions. The compound also finds use in the preparation of esters and amides through standard coupling reactions, either before or after deprotection, depending on the synthetic strategy.