Used as an intermediate in the synthesis of pharmaceutical compounds, particularly in the development of central nervous system agents and opioid receptor modulators. Its structure supports the construction of complex alkaloids and bioactive molecules. Commonly employed in medicinal chemistry for building dihydroisoquinoline scaffolds, which are found in several therapeutic agents targeting neurological disorders and pain management. The tert-butyl carbamate (Boc) group provides protection during peptide-like synthesis, allowing selective reactions at other functional sites. The hydroxymethyl moiety enables further derivatization, such as esterification or ether formation, facilitating structure-activity relationship studies. Widely utilized in research settings for designing potent and selective small-molecule drugs.