Production of chloroprene

The process for the production of chloroprene which comprises continuously dehydrchlorinating 3,4-dichlorobutene-1 at a temperature in the range of 40.degree.-70.degree. C. in a reaction medium which is a two phase liquid mixture of water and an alcohol which when shaken with a saturated brine solution containing 22% wt/wt NaOH at a volume ratio of alcohol to aqueous phase corresponding to that to be used in the dehydrochlorination process gives a separate phase containing at least 0.5% wt/wt NaOH, said water and alcohol being in a volume ratio of water to alcohol of 90:10 to 5:95 in the presence of a standing concentration of not more than 10% by weight of alkali metal hydroxide in the aqueous phase, recovering the chloroprene from the dehydrochlorination zone as a liquid by removing the resulting mixture of aqueous and organic liquid phases from the reactor, separating an organic liquid phase containing chloroprene from the resulting mixture of aqueous and organic liquid phases, and then distilling chloroprene from said organic liquid phase.