Abstract The syntheses of 2-fluorobenzo [rst] pentaphene and 2-fluoro-benzo [rst] pentaphene-5-13 C (70% 13 C) and their precursors are described, and relevant directly- bonded 13 C-1 H couplings reported. The labelled material was used to differentiate the NMR resonances of the 5-and 8-protons, in connection with our studies of the remote effect exercised by fluorine on their reactivities toward electrophilic aromatic substitution, and on ...