PURPOSE: To obtain a hydrocarbon solvent such as high-purity cyclopentane by conventional operation of distillation.

CONSTITUTION: This hydrocarbon solvent is obtained by the following four consecutive steps: (I) a selectively hydrogenated product 1 is introduced into a liquid-liquid extraction column 3 using a polar organic solvent to obtain a raffinate 4 and an extraction fluid stream I5, (II) the extraction fluid stream 15 is introduced into an extractive distillation column 6 to obtain a light hydrocarbon stream 7 and an extraction fluid stream II8, (III) the extraction fluid stream II8 is introduced into a 1st distillation column 9 to separate it into a polar organic solvent stream and an aromatic hydrocarbon stream 10, and (IV) part 7b of the light hydrocarbon stream 7 is refluxed to the liquid-liquid extraction column 3; concurrently, the rest 7a is introduced into a 2nd distillation column 11 to recover the objective hydrocarbon solvent containing a cyclopentane fraction 12 in high purity.