3,4,6-Tri-O-acetyl-D-glucal reacted with carbon monoxide and hydrogen in the presence of dicobalt octacarbonyl to yield a mixture of two epimeric anhydrodeoxyheptitols, namely, 4,5,7-tri-O-acetyl-2,6-anhydro-3-deoxy-D-manno-heptitol (I) and 4,5,7-tri-O-acetyl-2,6-anhydro-3-deoxy-D-gluco-heptitol (II). De-O-acetylation of the mixture, followed by chromatographic separation, yielded crystalline 2,6-anhydro-3-deoxy-D-manno-heptitol (III) and 2,6-anhydro-3-deoxy-D-gluco-heptitol (IV). Reaction of the mixture of heptitols (I) and (II) with p-bromobenzenesulfonyl chloride, followed by fractional crystallization of the brosylates, gave pure 4,5,7-tri-O-acetyl-2,6-anhydro-1-O-(p-bromophenylsulfonyl)-3-deoxy-D-gluco-heptitol (VII). The absolute configuration of (VII) has been previously established by X-ray crystallographic analysis. The absolute configuration of (III) was established by correlation with that of (VII). The conversion of compound (II) into various derivatives is described.Reaction of 3,4,6-tri-O-acetyl-D-glucal with carbon monoxide and deuterium afforded 2,6-anhydro-3-deoxy-D-manno-heptitol-1,1,3-2H3 (XIII) and 2,6-anhydro-3-deoxy-D-gluco-heptitol-1,1,3-2H3 (XIV). Examination of the nuclear magnetic resonance (n.m.r.) spectra of the normal and deuterated anhydrodeoxyheptitols confirmed the structural assignments and showed that cis addition to the double bond took place to give (XIV).Comparison of the exchange reaction of sodium iodide with 4,5,7-tri-O-acetyl-2,6-anhydro-3-deoxy-1-O-tosyl-D-gluco-heptitol (VIII) and with 4,5,7-tri-O-acetyl-2,6-anhydro-3-deoxy-1-O-tosyl-D-manno-heptitol (XV) revealed that the equatorial primary tosyloxy group of (VIII) was exchanged by iodine twice as readily as the axial primary tosyloxy group of (XV).