Abstract: A process for working up crude, liquid vinyl acetate feed containing acetic acid, water and ethyl acetate and optionally smaller amounts of other impurities by distillation, wherein there is introduced into the distillation column, above the feed point of the crude, liquid vinyl acetate, 0.1 to 5% by weight of water, based on the crude, liquid vinyl acetate feed, and 0.1 to 60% by weight of acetic acid, based on the crude, liquid vinyl acetate feed.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for separating out hydrogen chloride from a gas mixture forming in the chlorination of methane, which gas mixture contains unreacted methane, its chlorination products and hydrogen chloride formed in the reaction, by cooling and compression of the gas mixture and subsequent scrubbing with a scrubbing liquid which comprises at least one liquid chlorination product of methane. The gas mixture is separated into a methane-containing gas phase and a liquid phase containing hydrogen chloride and methane chlorination products, and the hydrogen chloride is then desorbed from the liquid phase by heating.