This chemical is primarily used in organic synthesis as a protected amino acid derivative. It serves as a key intermediate in the preparation of peptides and other bioactive compounds. The tert-butoxycarbonyl (Boc) group protects the amino functionality during synthetic processes, allowing selective reactions at other sites of the molecule. It is particularly valuable in medicinal chemistry for developing drug candidates and in biochemical research for studying protein interactions. The presence of the methylene group also makes it useful for further functionalization or coupling reactions.