PURIFICATION OF LACTIDE

PURPOSE:To provide a lactide purification process for removing mesolactide from crude lactide and obtain the objective lactide having high optical purity or a DL-lactide having high purity. CONSTITUTION:The characteristic of this lactide purification process is to contact of a mixture containing an L-lactide and/or a D-lactide and a meso- lactide with water to effect the hydrolysis of the meso-lactide. A DL-lactide and/or an optically active lactide having high optical purity can be produced in high yield by removing meso-lactide from crude lactide. The synthesis of lactide can be simplified in the production of an optically active lactide because the restriction on the formation of meso-lactide is eliminated by this process.