Used as an intermediate and protecting group in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, particularly in the development of antiviral, antifungal, and anticancer agents. The tert-butyl carboxylate moiety acts as a Boc protecting group for the imidazole nitrogen, which can be selectively removed under mild acidic conditions, facilitating multi-step organic syntheses. Its structure enables precise modifications in drug design, enhancing metabolic stability, bioavailability, and specificity of active compounds. Commonly employed in research for constructing benzimidazole-based scaffolds, which are key in medicinal chemistry due to their biological activity. Also utilized in the preparation of kinase inhibitors and other targeted therapies in oncology.