METHOD FOR PRODUCING OLEFIN

The invention has objects of providing an olefin production method which can produce an olefin with high efficiency by the dehydration reaction of an alcohol even in the presence of a ketone without the occurrence of side reactions such as the Aldol condensation of the ketone, as well as providing an olefin production method which can produce an olefin with high activity and high selectivity in a single reaction step by directly reacting a corresponding ketone and hydrogen. The former olefin production method of the invention produces an olefin from an alcohol using a silica gel (A) as a dehydration catalyst which is obtained by bringing a silica gel (X) prepared from an alkyl orthosilicate into contact with a water-soluble aluminum compound and calcining the contact product or is obtained from a wet-process silica gel (Y) prepared from an alkali silicate and which contains an aluminum compound at 10 to 1000 ppm in terms of aluminum element as well as an alkali metal and an alkaline earth metal at a total of 0 to 350 ppm. The latter olefin production method produces an olefin from a ketone and hydrogen in a single reaction step in the presence of the silica gel (A) and a silver-containing inorganic substance (B).