Abstract: Provided is a method for producing, from a carboxylic acid ester, a corresponding ether. In the method, the reaction product and catalyst can be easily separated, and a large amount of salt waste or hazardous waste is not discharged. The method for producing an ether includes reducing a carboxylic acid ester with molecular hydrogen in the presence of the following Catalyst and producing the corresponding ether, in which the —C(?O)O— group of the carboxylic acid ester has been converted to a —CH2O— group: Catalyst: a catalyst in which the following M1 and M2 are supported as metal species on the following Support. M1: platinum, ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, or iridium. M2: molybdenum, rhenium, tungsten, or vanadium. Support: zirconium oxide, titanium oxide, cerium oxide, or hydroxyapatite.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a method for selectively producing a hydroxycarboxylic acid ester, the method including reducing a dicarboxylic acid monoester by means of a heterogeneous reaction. According to a method for producing a hydroxycarboxylic acid ester in an embodiment of the present invention, a hydroxycarboxylic acid ester represented by Formula (2) is produced by reducing a substrate dicarboxylic acid monoester represented by Formula (1) in the presence of a catalyst. The catalyst comprises: metal species including M1 and M2; and a support supporting the metal species, and wherein M1 is rhodium, platinum, ruthenium, iridium or palladium; M2 is tin, vanadium, molybdenum, tungsten or rhenium; and the support is hydroxyapatite, fluorapatite, or hydrotalcite.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for selectively producing an alcohol by efficiently hydrogenating a lactone. The present invention is a method for producing an alcohol, the method including hydrogenating a substrate lactone represented by Formula (1), in the presence of a catalyst described below, to produce an alcohol that is represented by Formula (2). In the formulae, R represents a divalent hydrocarbon group which may have a hydroxyl group. The catalyst comprises: metal species including M1 and M2; and a support supporting the metal species, and wherein M1 is rhodium, platinum, ruthenium, iridium, or palladium; M2 is tin, vanadium, molybdenum, tungsten, or rhenium; and the support is hydroxyapatite, fluorapatite, hydrotalcite, or ZrO2.