Used in organic synthesis as a chiral building block for pharmaceuticals, particularly in the development of central nervous system agents. It serves as an intermediate in the preparation of selective receptor modulators, including those targeting dopamine and serotonin receptors. Its structure supports the creation of enantiomerically pure compounds, making it valuable in the design of bioactive molecules with improved specificity and reduced side effects. Commonly employed in medicinal chemistry research for structure-activity relationship studies.