Used in organic synthesis as a chiral building block for pharmaceuticals, particularly in the development of enzyme inhibitors and bioactive molecules. Its structure supports the creation of stereoselective compounds, making it valuable in medicinal chemistry research. Commonly employed in the preparation of peptidomimetics and receptor ligands due to its amino alcohol and aromatic halide functionality. Also utilized in asymmetric synthesis for catalyst design and in the study of metabolic pathways involving phenylalanine derivatives.