Camphorsultam is synthesized by reduction of camphorsulfonylimine. This reaction was originally performed as a catalytic hydrogenation using Raney Nickel, but the modern preparation instead uses lithium aluminium hydride for the reduction. These reductive methods are stereoselective: although both the endo and exo diastereomeric forms are theoretically possible, only the exo isomer is actually produced due to steric effects of one of the methyl groups. Camphorsultam is often referred to as Oppolzers sultam' in reference to Wolfgang Oppolzer and colleagues, who developed the lithium aluminium hydride approach to this compound and pioneered its use in asymmetric synthesis.