Antidepressant-like activity, as evidenced by marked inhibition of tetrabenazine-induced ptosis, was previously reported for (+/-)-4,5-dihydro-4-phenyl-3H-1,3-benzodiazepine derivatives. Since optimal antitetrabenazine activity was associated with (+/-)-4,5-dihydro-2,3-dimethyl-4-phenyl-3H-1,3-benzodiazepine (9k, HRP 543) and the 2-ethyl-3-methyl analogue (10k), the synthesis and evaluation of nuclear-substituted derivatives of these two compounds was also investigated. The initial synthesis involved Friedel-Crafts acylation of substituted benzenes with 2-nitrophenylacetyl chloride to afford 1-aryl-2-(2-nitrophenyl)ethanones 2, which were converted in five steps to (+/-)-alpha-aryl-N-methyl-2-nitrobenzeneethanamines 7. Greater flexibility with respect to the introduction of nuclear substituents was achieved by conversion of 2-nitrotoluene derivatives to 2 via acylation of intermediate beta-(dimethylamino)-2-nitrostyrenes with various aroyl chlorides and hydrolysis. Reductive amination of 2 with methylamine and sodium cyanoborohydride afforded 7 directly and significantly reduced the number of synthetic steps. Reduction of 7a-j to diamines 8a-j and cyclization with appropriate ortho esters gave nuclear-substituted analogues of 9k and 10k. Marked antitetrabenazine activity was associated with many of these compounds. Significant enhancement of activity with respect to the unsubstituted analogues 9k and 10k was not observed, with the exception of 9c which appeared to be slightly more potent than 9k.