Used in the synthesis of pharmaceutical compounds, particularly as a chiral building block in the development of drugs targeting central nervous system disorders. It plays a key role in creating enantiomerically pure molecules, which are essential for the efficacy and safety of medications. Additionally, it is employed in research for designing inhibitors of specific enzymes or receptors, contributing to the advancement of therapeutic treatments for conditions like depression, anxiety, and other neurological diseases. Its trifluoromethyl group enhances the metabolic stability and bioavailability of the resulting compounds.