Homogeneous metal catalysis for conversion between aromatic and saturated compounds

•Homogeneous catalytic arene and heteroarene hydrogenation is broadly reviewed.•Various hydrogenation mechanistic studies are discussed.•Most recent research efforts have focused on heteroarene substrates.•The current state-of-the-art features primarily Ir-, Rh-, and Ru-based catalysts.•Single catalysts for reversible hydrogenation-dehydrogenation have been reported.

In the past few decades, homogeneous catalysis of arene and heteroarene reduction has grown into a mature research field. In particular, hydrogenation of heteroaromatic systems facilitates rapid access to many classes of fine chemicals and pharmaceutically relevant compounds. In this review, we discuss the advancements made in the field of homogeneous metal-catalyzed arene and heteroarene hydrogenation from its early beginnings to the present day. We also review homogeneous catalysts for the reverse dehydrogenation of cyclic saturated species back to their aromatic counterparts, as well as single-catalyst systems capable of performing reversible hydrogenation-dehydrogenation reactions.

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