PRODUCTION OF ACRYLAMIDE

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To produce a high quality acrylamide most suitable for a raw material for a polymer having a high molecular weight and good water-solubility by adding a specified additive and performing a specific treating in the hydration reaction of acrylonitrile under a copper-based catalyst. SOLUTION: This acrylamide is produced by adding meta-substituted phenols to the reaction mixture when catalytically dehydrating acrylonitrile with water under a copper-based catalyst and thereby enabling the production not to reduce the catalytic activity and to suppress the by-production of an impurity. Further, the high quality acrylamide is obtained by easily removing the added meta substituted phenols by using a strongly basic anion exchange resin in the purification process of the obtained crude acryl amide and further by bringing into contact thereof with a cation exchange resin. An acrylamide-based polymer with high molecular weight and useful for a coagulant, etc., is obtained by polymerizing the acryl amide. The ratio of acrylonitrile to water is preferably (60:40) to (5:95) by weight and meta substituted phenols are preferably used 50-5000ppm based on the amount of acrylonitrile in this reaction.