Using SnCl2 and tetrabutyl titanate as precursors, a series of Sn2+ doped TiO2 photocatalysts with different Sn2+ doping content were prepared by one-step hydrothermal method. The structure and spectral characteristics of the samples were characterized by XRD, UV-Vis, SEM, EDX, XPS and BET. 300 W Xenon lamp was used as light source to investigate the photocatalytic activity of different samples under full wave band and visible light. The results revealed that Sn4+ doped TiO2 could not produce hydrogen in visible light, while Sn2+ doped TiO2 could. The sample with a Ti/Sn molar ratio of 20 demonstrated the best photocatalytic activity for hydrogen production, and the efficiency of hydrogen production in full wave band and visible light were 50.3 and 33 μmol/(h•g), respectively. Moreover, the catalyst still showed a stable efficiency of hydrogen production even after being five cycles. © 2018, Editorial Office of FINE CHEMICALS. All right reserved.