Fluoral is obtained by gas-phase fluorination of chloral in the presence of a catalyst and then reacted with trimethyl orthoformate, thereby readily forming 1,2,2,2-tetrafluoroethyl methyl ether as an intermediate for production of desflurane. 1,2,2,2-Tetrafluoroethyl difluoromethyl ether (desflurane) is produced with high yield from the thus-formed 1,2,2,2-tetrafluoroethyl methyl ether by chlorination and fluorination. This method enables efficient industrial-scale production of desflurane useful as an inhalation anesthetic.