Ultraviolet irradiation of both 1,3,4,~,6-penta-o-acety~-keto-~-fructose (1) and 1,3,4,5,6-penta-o-acetyl-keto-L-sorbose (2) (epimeric at the y carbon) has been found to produce crystalline 1 (S),4(S)-diacetoxymethyl-2(S),-3(S),4-triacetoxycyclobutan-l-o1 (3), the former giving a yield of 11.6% and the latter a yield of 26.2%. Reaction is envisioned from 1,4 biradicals in the triplet state, but no other diastereoisomers resulted. The cyclic photoproduct was converted to its hexaaoetate and was also deacetylated to a hexose isomer, CleHllOe. The deacetylated material was converted to a tetra-p-toluenesulfonylate, in which all but the tertiary hydroxyl functions were derivatized. This derivative was reduced by lithium aluminum hydride to 1 (S),4(S)-dimethyl-3(S)-cyclobutanetriol. A minor photoproduct was produced in a 0.9% yield from 1. It presumably resulted from 6-hydrogen abstraction and formation of a 1,j-biradical intermediate, which underwent ring closure to meso-( 1,2,3/~,5)-2-acetoxymeth~l-1,3,4,5-tetraacetoxycyclopentan-2-ol(4).