Used in the synthesis of bioactive compounds, particularly in the development of peptidomimetics and enzyme inhibitors. Its chiral center and unsaturated side chain make it valuable for designing molecules with specific stereochemical and structural properties. Commonly employed in medicinal chemistry for probing protease activity and constructing conformationally constrained peptides. Also serves as a building block in the preparation of fatty acid analogs with potential antimicrobial or antitumor activity.