Hexafluorocyclopentadiene (1) has been synthesized in two steps from pentafluorophenol (2) by fluorination followed by flash vacuum pyrolysis of the resulting hexafluorocyclohexadienones 3 and 4. Similar pyrolysis of 6- chloropentafluorocyclohexadienone (13) gave an equilibrium mixture of 1-and 2- chloropentafluorocyclopentadiene (15 and 16), presumably via the 5-ChlOrO isomer. ...