D-Galactal 1 reacts in THF in the presence of catalytic amounts of concentrated sulfuric acid to give (2R)-2-hydroxy-6,8dioxabicyclo[3.2.1]oct-3-ene (4) in a Ferrier-type rearrangement in 40% yield. When 4 is treated with diethylaminosulfur trifluoride (DAST) under certain reaction conditions, a novel intramolecular second order allylic rearrangement follows leading to previously unknown diastereomeric monofluoro derivatives 7 and 8. Direct asubstitution of 4 by DAST affords the 2-monofluoro derivative 6 under kinetic control. When DAST is used with dimethylformamide as solvent an apparent [1,3] sigmatropic migration of the 2-hydroxy group of 4 gives (4S)-4-hydroxy-6,8-dioxabicyclo[3.2.1]oct-2-ene (9). The corresponding 4-fluoro-substituted product was not obtained from the reaction of 9 with DAST. Oxidation of 4 and repeated treatment with DAST gives a novel 2,2-difluoro compound 11. Electrophilic addition of bromine to protected 4 afforded the 1,6anhydromonobromo-and-dibromohexopyranoses 15-17. Monohalo and monopseudohalo derivatives (-F,-Cl,-Br,-N 3) 22-25 were prepared by nucleophilic oxirane ring opening of the easily available endo-epoxides 18-20.