This article reports on the transformation of santonin into two C10-epimeric 3-oxa-guaianolides which are 8-deoxyderivatives of several natural 3-oxaguaianolides isolated from Achillea species. The synthesis involved the photochemical rearrangement of the eudesmane skeleton into a guaiane skeleton and the transformation of the cyclopentane ring into a furan moiety with the concomitant loss of C3. Comparison