Used as an intermediate in the synthesis of chiral pharmaceuticals, particularly in the preparation of optically active amino acid derivatives. It serves as a protected chiral building block in peptide chemistry, enabling selective alkylation reactions. Commonly employed in the development of protease inhibitors and other bioactive molecules where stereochemistry is critical. Its sulfonate group allows for efficient nucleophilic substitution, facilitating the introduction of various functional groups in multi-step organic syntheses.