Used as a chiral building block in the synthesis of biologically active compounds, particularly in the development of pharmaceuticals. This compound features free amine and alpha-carboxylic acid functionalities, making it suitable for peptide coupling and the construction of complex amino acid derivatives, while the side-chain carboxylic acid is protected as a benzyl ester. Commonly employed in medicinal chemistry for designing enzyme inhibitors and peptidomimetics due to its structural similarity to natural amino acids such as glutamic acid. The benzyl group allows for easy deprotection under mild hydrogenolytic conditions, enabling further functionalization in multi-step syntheses.