1,4-Benzodiazepine (benzodiazepines)

Benzodiazepines are a chemical class of organic compounds built around a fused bicyclic core in which a benzene ring is joined to a seven-membered diazepine ring containing two nitrogen atoms, the classic 1,4-diazepine arrangement. Most members additionally carry a pendant phenyl ring and varied substituents such as chlorine, nitro or fluorine groups, which distinguish individual compounds. Benzodiazepines act as positive modulators at the GABA-A receptor, producing sedative, anxiolytic, muscle-relaxant and anticonvulsant effects. Fusing a triazole or imidazole ring onto the diazepine gives rise to several closely related subgroups.