Used in pharmaceutical synthesis as a chiral intermediate, particularly in the development of central nervous system agents. Its structural features support the creation of bioactive molecules with high selectivity. Commonly employed in the preparation of potential neuroprotective or cognitive-enhancing compounds due to its ability to mimic natural neurotransmitter scaffolds. Also utilized in medicinal chemistry for structure-activity relationship studies, where the tert-butyloxycarbonyl (Boc) group allows for easy protection and deprotection during peptide-like chain assembly.