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Enhancement of the σ–hole on the halogen atom of aryl halides due to perfluorination of the ring is demonstrated by use of the Extended Townes−Dailey (ETD) model coupled to a Natural Atomic Orbital Bond analysis on two perfluorinated aryl halides (C 6 F 5 Cl and C 6 F 5 Br) and their hydrogenated counterparts. The ETD analysis, which quantifies the halogen p-orbitals populations, relies on the nuclear quadrupole coupling constants which in this work are accurately determined experimentally from the rotational spectra. The rotational spectra investigated by Fourier-transform microwave spectroscopy performed in supersonic expansion are reported for the parent species of C 6 F 5 Cl and C 6 F 5 Br and their 13 C, 37 Cl or 81 Br substituted isotopologues observed in natural abundance. The experimentally determined rotational constants combined with theoretical data at the MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ level provide precise structural information from which an elongation of the ring along its symmetry axis due to perfluorination is proved.