Used as a key intermediate in the synthesis of nucleoside analogs, particularly in antiviral and anticancer drug development. Its protected sugar scaffold allows selective functionalization at specific positions, enabling efficient construction of modified nucleosides. The presence of benzyl and isopropylidene protecting groups provides stability during multi-step reactions, while the benzyl-protected hydroxyl groups can be selectively deprotected for further coupling. Commonly employed in the preparation of C-nucleosides and branched-chain sugar derivatives for pharmaceutical research.