2-Methylnaphthalene is an important chemical material with high content，wide application and high value in coal-derived oil，petroleum tar and heavy aromatics. In order to extend the processing industrial chain of 2-methylnaphthalene and improve the utilization efficiency，the characteristics，properties and uses of various synthetic compounds of 2-methylnaphthalene were discussed，and the technical characteristics，research status and latest progress of synthesis of these compounds were discussed. Two key technologies for synthesis of 2-methylnaphthoquinone and naphthyl polymer precursors from 2-methylnaphthalene were introduced in this paper and the main synthesis methods were compared and analyzed. The synthesis of 2-methylnaphthoquinone by oxidation of 2-methyl naphthalene can be divided into gas oxidation，peroxide oxidation and other oxidation methods. The gas oxidation method is cheap and easy to obtain from air，and is suitable for large-scale industrial production with continuous operation. However，the reaction conditions are harsh，and the conversion rate of raw materials and the yield of products need to be improved. The peroxide oxidation is green，the reaction conditions are mild，but the cost of peroxide is high and the properties are unstable，which limits its application in industrial production. The oxidation of other oxides mainly uses oxidizing salts as oxidant，which has strong oxidation property，high conversion of raw material and high yield of product. To prevent excessive oxidation，at the same time，the heavy metal wastewater and waste produced in the oxidation process need to be treated thoroughly，which will increase the environmental protection cost of enterprises. 2,6-dimethylnaphthalene and 2-methyl-6-acylnaphthalene are important naphthalene polymer precursors. 2,6-dimethyl naphthalene can be synthesized by disproportionation，methanol alkylation and transfer methylation. The synthesis of 2,6-dimethylnaphthalene by methanol alkylation has the advantages of material，relatively mature technology and simple process，which is a synthesis process of 2,6-dimethylnaphthalene with great application prospect. The synthesis of 2-methyl-6-acyl naphthalene from 2-methylnaphthalene has the advantages of low by-product，high conversion and high yield，which is a research hotspot in the field of synthesizing naphthyl polymer precursors.