Used as a chiral building block in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, particularly in the production of beta-blockers and other cardiovascular drugs. Its protected amine and diol functionality allow selective reactions in multi-step organic syntheses. Commonly employed in the development of protease inhibitors and antiviral agents due to its stereochemical purity and compatibility with peptide-like structures. Also utilized in the preparation of prodrugs where the tert-butyl carbamate group acts as a protecting group that can be removed under mild acidic conditions.