Method for producing acetone cyanhydrin and the subsequent products thereof by specific cooling

The invention generally relates to a method for producing acetone cyanhydrin, comprising the following steps: A.) contacting acetone and hydrocyanic acid in a reactor to give a reaction mixture, said reaction mixture being circulated and acetone cyanhydrin being obtained; B.) cooling at least part of the reaction mixture by passing it through a cooling zone of a cooler, said cooler containing a cooling element or at least two cooling elements; C.) separating off at least part of the produced acetone cyanhydrin from the reactor, the volume of the cooling zone of the cooler, based on the overall interior volume of the cooler, being larger than the volume of the cooling element or of the at least two cooling elements of the cooler. The invention also relates to a method for producing a methacrylic alkyl ester, to a method for producing methacrylic acid, to a device for producing methacrylic alkyl esters, to a method for producing polymers that are at least partially based on methacrylic alkyl esters, to the use of the methacrylic alkyl esters obtainable by the method according to the invention in chemical products, and to chemical products that are based on the methacrylic alkyl esters obtainable by the methods according to the invention.