The selective hydrogenation of quinolines to 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinolines (py-THQ) and its derivatives has attracted a considerable amount of attention as they show great versatility in many pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and fine chemicals. Over the past few decades, great breakthroughs have been achieved in the controlled synthesis of efficient heterogeneous catalysts used for the selective hydrogenation of functionalized quinoline compounds, which allow one to correlate the structure-property relationships. In this review, we will summarize the recent significant progress achieved in this field covering the synthetic strategies, microstructural and chemical features, catalytic performance, and internal relationships. State-of-the-art noble metal-based single (Pd, Pt, Ru, Rh, Ir and Au) and bi/multi-metallic catalysts (RuCu, AuPd, and PdNi) are first introduced, followed by a summary of earth-abundant metal-based catalysts (Co, Fe, Ni, and Cu). Finally, the dehydrogenation of N-heterocycles is introduced to form a reversible hydrogenation/dehydrogenation system for H2 storage, which can be employed in a liquid organic hydrogen system. Furthermore, the reaction mechanism and future research direction in these areas are also discussed. This review will deepen our understanding of the catalytic transformation of N-heterocycles and provide guidance for researchers on the rational design of catalysts.
