To provide a method for efficiently producing an alkyl nitrite in higher yield by reaction between nitrogen dioxide and an alkanol.
The method for producing the alkyl nitrite comprises feeding a reaction column with the alkanol and water to allow them to flow down and countercurrently contacting them with the nitrogen oxide while feeding it into the reaction column. More specifically, this method comprises the step (1) of introducing bottoms extracted from the bottom of the reaction column into a reactor, into which carbon monoxide or hydrogen is fed in the presence of a platinum metal catalyst and both the alkanol and nitric acid in the bottoms are reacted with the carbon monoxide or hydrogen to form the alkyl nitrite and the step (2) of feeding the alkyl nitrite into the zone where the alkanol in the reaction column is flowing down.
II HIROFUMI
MITSUI KAZUAKI
