Patent ID: 7301048

Claim:
In a process for separating off vinyl acetate from a gas mixture formed in the reaction of ethylene with acetic acid and oxygen in the gas phase over catalysts comprising palladium or palladium compounds the improvement comprising a) introducing the gas mixture leaving the reaction zone into a first distillation column, b) cooling the gas mixture leaving the top of the first distillation column to from −20 to +50° C., with the condensate obtained separating into a water phase and an organic phase, c) taking off the water phase formed in step b), d) recirculating all or part of the organic phase formed in step b) as runback to the top of the first distillation column utilized in step a) and taking off part of the organic phase which is not used as runback, e) scrubbing the gas comprising vinyl acetate which is not condensed in step b) in a scrubbing column by means of at least 90% strength aqueous acetic acid and obtaining an acetic-acid solution comprising vinyl acetate at the bottom, f) feeding the bottom product comprising vinyl acetate, ethyl acetate, acetic acid and water from step a) into a collection vessel and depressurizing the pressurized liquid so as to form a gas, g) feeding the liquid obtained in the depressurization in step f) into a second distillation column and taking off a side stream comprising ethyl acetate from an enrichment zone above its bottom, h) utilizing all or part of the bottom product comprising acetic acid and water from step g) for the gas scrub in step e), i) cooling the overhead vapor from step g), with the condensate obtained separating into an aqueous phase and an organic phase, j) taking off the aqueous phase formed in step i), k) recirculating part of the organic phase formed in step i) as runback to the top of the second distillation column utilized in step g) and taking off the remainder, wherein l) part of the bottom product from the scrubbing column utilized in step e) is firstly cooled with pumped circulation and recirculated to the bottom of the scrubbing column utilized in step e), the remainder is taken off and the part taken off is heated to a temperature of at least 30° C. and fed into the lower part of the first distillation column utilized in step a), m) the remaining organic phase taken off in step d) is depressurized, the gas formed in the depressurization is combined with the gas formed in step f) and the combined gas is returned to the process, n) the organic phase obtained in step m) is combined with the organic phase obtained in step i) and the remaining part of the organic phase taken off in step k) which has not been used as runback is introduced into a third distillation column, o) the overhead product from the third distillation column in step n) is cooled and the low boilers obtained and the water obtained are separated off, p) the bottom product from the third distillation column in step n) is introduced into a fourth distillation column, q) pure vinyl acetate is taken off at the top of the fourth distillation column used in step p).