A process for producing a polyhydric alcohol includes a step (I) of hydrogenating hemiacetal having a specific structure to obtain a reaction solution (I), and a step (II) of adding water to the reaction solution (I) obtained in the step (I) and further conducting hydrogenation.
Provided is a method for producing 3-methyl-1,5-pentanediol by hydrogenating 2-hydroxy-4-methyltetrahydropyran in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst, characterized in that the hydrogenation is further carried out in the presence of a basic compound. By this method, in producing MPD by hydrogenation of MHP, high-purity MPD can be produced by effectively suppressing generation of by-products such as MPAE and MVL even when a known hydrogenation catalyst is used.
A process for producing a polyhydric alcohol includes a step (I) of hydrogenating hemiacetal having a specific structure to obtain a reaction solution (I), and a step (II) of adding water to the reaction solution (I) obtained in the step (I) and further conducting hydrogenation.