Ethyl 2-oxabicyclo[4.1.0]heptane-7-carboxylate is used as a key intermediate in organic synthesis, particularly in the development of pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals. Its strained bicyclic structure, featuring an oxirane (epoxide) ring fused to a cyclohexane ring with an ethyl carboxylate group at the 7-position, makes it valuable for ring-opening reactions and cycloadditions, enabling the construction of complex cyclic frameworks. The epoxide undergoes facile ring-opening, often with stereocontrol, to access trans-1,2-disubstituted cyclohexane derivatives. It is also utilized in the preparation of chiral building blocks for bioactive molecules.