PRODUCTION OF METHYL METHACRYLATE

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for producing methyl methacrylate, capable of inhibiting the accumulation of acetone and the loss of methacrolein and efficiently producing the methyl methacrylate. SOLUTION: This method for producing methyl methacrylate comprises reacting methacrolein with methanol and an oxygen-containing gas in the presence of a catalyst, separating the obtained reaction solution containing at least the methyl methacrylate, the methacrolein and the methanol into low boiling point substances, a solution containing the methacrolein and a solution containing the methyl methacrylate in a methacrolein-recovering process containing one or more distillation towers, removing the low boiling point substances outside the system, and recycling the solution containing the methacrolein as a part of the reaction raw materials. Therein, the methacrolein- recovering process is operated so that the ratio D/F of the amount D (g/h) of the acetone removed outside the system as a part of the low boiling substances per unit time to the amount F (g/h) of the acetone transferred to the methacrolein-recovering process per unit time as a part of the reaction solution is 0.015 to 0.250.