Used in organic synthesis as a chiral building block for the preparation of complex carbohydrates and glycosidase inhibitors. Serves as an intermediate in the synthesis of natural products and bioactive molecules, particularly those involving mannose metabolism. It is also an intermediate in the biosynthetic pathway of L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C) in certain organisms, such as plants, algae, and bacteria. Additionally, applied in the development of pharmaceuticals targeting metabolic disorders and infectious diseases due to its structural similarity to sugar moieties involved in cellular recognition processes. Employed in biochemical research to study enzymes involved in sugar modification and metabolism.