A non-petroleum approach for the catalytic synthesis of acrylic acid by hydroformylation of acetylene with carbon monoxide has been studied under various conditions. Mixtures of nickel acetate tetrahydrate, cupric bromid, triphenylphosphine and methanesulfonic acid are used as catalysts, and tetrahydrofuran as solvent. The effect of cupric bromid, triphenylphosphine and methanesulfonic acid and water on the conversion of acetylene as well as the selectivity to acrylic acid has been studied. Triphenylphosphine is found to be effient for enhancement of the selectivity under the experimental conditions. When the reaction was carried out under the total initial pressure of 6.0 MPa at the temperature of 200 A degrees C with the catalyst composition of 2.0 mmol Ni(OAc)(2) 4H(2)O, 0.9 mmol CuBr2, 2.0 mmol CH3SO3H and 4.0 mmol PPh3, 90% conversion of acetylene and 90% selectivity to acrylic acid were achieved.