Due to its ability to form derivatives through its nitrogen atom and the structural rigidity of its chirality, camphorsultam is often used in reactions as a chiral auxiliary in order to allow a reaction to proceed with very specific stereoselectivity. During the synthesis of Manzacidin B, camphorsultam is used in order to obtain the desired stereoselective product. During a Michael reaction, a Claisen rearrangement, or a cycloaddition reaction camphorsultam is able to confer a great deal of stereoselectivity. This allows for more control over the reactions and the creation of very specific desired products. Stereoselectivity can be further increased if substrates are equipped with two chiral auxiliaries, acting in a cooperative fashion.
Camphorsultam also has applications in determining a compound's absolute stereochemistry. For that reason, it is sometimes referred to as a "chiral probe".