Fucopyranoside analogs with methylene groups instead of endo-or exo-anomeric oxygens, carba-and C-fucopyranosides, respectively, were synthesized. For the synthesis of 5acarba-L-fucose (1) two approaches were studied, which shared a common cyclitol building block (8), obtained from a SmI 2 -promoted carbocyclization of a D-mannitol derivative. The first route made use of a Stork radical cyclization onto a conduritol derivative 13 as the key step, which failed to give the silyl ether ring. The second route furnished the target 1, and involved regioselective elimination of a cyclic sulfate 9,