Process for production of high-purity vinyl ether

A process for producing a high-purity vinyl ether, which comprises:

• a first step;
• a vinyl ether synthesis step of subjecting an alcohol (I) represented by the general formula (1)
• R—O—H (1)
• (wherein R is an aliphatic hydrocarbon group or an alicyclic hydrocarbon group), to a vinyl ether formation reaction in the presence of a catalyst to synthesize a vinyl ether (II) represented by the general formula (2)
• R—O—CH═CH2 (2)
• (wherein R is an aliphatic hydrocarbon group or an alicyclic hydrocarbon group)
• a second step;
• a catalyst removal step of removing the catalyst from the reaction mixture obtained in the first step to obtain a crude vinyl ether containing the vinyl ether (II) and the unreacted raw material alcohol (I)
• a third step;
• an acetal formation step of reacting the unreacted raw material alcohol (I) in the crude vinyl ether, with the vinyl ether (II) in the presence of an acid catalyst, to convert the alcohol (I) and vinyl ether (II) into an acetal (III) represented by the general formula (3)
• (wherein R is an aliphatic hydrocarbon group or an alicyclic hydrocarbon group), and
• a fourth step;
• a distillation and purification step of subjecting a crude vinyl ether containing the acetal (III) to distillation to obtain a high-purity vinyl ether.