Used as an intermediate in the synthesis of pharmaceutical compounds, particularly in the development of beta-lactam antibiotics. It serves as a protected form of azetidine-2-carboxylic acid, enabling selective reactions in peptide and heterocyclic chemistry. Its structure allows incorporation into larger molecules where the azetidine ring acts as a conformationally restricted amino acid mimic, useful in medicinal chemistry for optimizing metabolic stability and bioavailability. Commonly employed in solid-phase and solution-phase peptide synthesis due to the stability and ease of removal of the benzyloxycarbonyl (Cbz) protecting group.