Used in the synthesis of chiral pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals due to its enantiomeric purity. Serves as a building block in asymmetric synthesis, particularly in the development of active pharmaceutical ingredients where stereochemistry is critical. Also employed in the preparation of biodegradable polymers and as a chiral derivatizing agent in analytical chemistry for the separation and identification of enantiomers. Its structural configuration makes it valuable in research involving metabolic pathways and enzyme studies.