9-Chloro-7-(2-chlorophenyl) pyrimido [5, 4-d][2] benzazepine, a potent anxiolytic agent, was synthesized in three steps from 4-chloro-5-methylpyrimidine and 2-iodo-2', 5- dichlorobenzophenon~ In the key step these materials were coupled in an unsymmetrical biaryl synthesis mediated with zerovalent nickel. The methyl group of the resulting product was brominated with NBS, and the seven-membered ring was closed with ammonia. ...