<p>Herein, we report the construction and application of a Pd-GO-ZIF-8 composite catalyst for chemoselective hydrogenation of the C = C bond in α,β-unsaturated ketones and aldehydes. The mixed catalytic system of palladium (Pd) and graphene oxide (GO) on zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) was found to be an effective catalytic system that exhibits multiple advantages, such as a large surface area, high porosity, surface electron distribution, and space restriction. The characterization of the catalysts using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and Raman spectroscopy analysis confirmed that there is an even distribution of palladium metal on the ZIF framework and also the preservation of porosity. The catalyst was found selectively hydrogenate the C=C bond without affecting the carbonyl group. A comparative study of Pd-GO, Pd-ZIF-8, and Pd-GO-ZIF-8 systems revealed that the hybrid Pd-GO-ZIF-8 exhibited better activity and selectivity, which could be attributed to enhanced electron transfer and substrate absorption rates. The synergism between the GO layer and the ZIF framework results in the spread of electrons and the creation of a favourable environment that encourages the selective hydrogenation of the olefin group. The GO insertion in the Pd-ZIF-8 matrix was found to improve the selectivity towards C=C hydrogenation by approximately 30–32% in Pd-GO-ZIF-8. The catalyst was found to be recyclable for five cycles with minimal loss in activity. This study emerges as a potential hybrid catalytic system for selective hydrogenation in synthetic organic chemistry.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>