Used as an intermediate in organic synthesis, particularly in the pharmaceutical industry for constructing chiral building blocks. Its structure allows for the formation of gamma-phenylbutyrate derivatives, which are important in the development of drugs targeting neurological and inflammatory conditions. The bromine atom serves as a good leaving group, enabling nucleophilic substitution reactions to introduce various functional groups. Also employed in the synthesis of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and other bioactive molecules where a substituted butyric acid scaffold is required.