Ammonium 2,3,6-trideoxy-2,6-epithio-D-manno-2-octenoate (8), ammonium 2,3,6-trideoxy-2,6-epithio-D-glycero-D-talo-octanoate (10a), ammonium 2,3,6-trideoxy-2,6-epithio-D-glycero-D-galacto-octanoate (10b) and ammonium 2,3,6-trideoxy-2,6-epithio-oxa-D-glycero-D-galacto-octanoate (13) have been synthesised as potential inhibitors of the enzyme CMP-KDO synthetase. The key step in the synthesis of8was the elimination of water from methyl 3,6-dideoxy-4,5:7,8-di-O-isopropylidene-6-thio-D-manno-2-octulosonate (4) using chlorodiphenylphosphine, imidazole and bromine to give the unsaturated methyl 2,3,6-trideoxy-2,6-epithio-4,5:7,8-di-O-isopropylidene-D-manno-2-octenoate (5). For the synthesis of10aand10b, zinc reduction of methyl 3,6-dideoxy-4,5:7,8-di-O-isopropylidene-6-S-(4-methoxybenzyl)-6-thio-2-O-(trichloro-tert-butoxycarbonyl)-D-manno-2-octenoate (2) gave an epimeric mixture of an α-hydroxyester6which was ring closed by insituactivation of the hydroxyl group using triphenylphosphine and tri-iodoimidazole followed by cleavage of thep-methoxybenzyl group to give7aand7b, which then were deprotected to give10aand10b.