Used as a key intermediate in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, particularly in the development of central nervous system (CNS) agents. It serves as a building block for compounds with potential antihypertensive, antipsychotic, and antiarrhythmic activities. Its structure allows for easy modification in medicinal chemistry, enabling the creation of diverse analogs for drug discovery. Commonly employed in the preparation of tetrahydroisoquinoline-based natural product analogs and enzyme inhibitors.