Used as a chiral N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) precursor in asymmetric catalysis. It plays a key role in enantioselective transformations, such as hydrogenation, allylic alkylation, and ring-opening reactions, where high stereocontrol is required. The compound’s chiral imidazolium structure enables the formation of well-defined metal-NHC complexes, particularly with palladium, ruthenium, and iridium, enhancing catalytic efficiency and enantioselectivity. Commonly applied in pharmaceutical synthesis and fine chemical manufacturing to produce single-enantiomer compounds.