To produce ethylene from ethane efficiently by causing a mixture of the ethane and oxygen to undergo a chemical reaction in the presence of a catalyst containing molybdenum, vanadium and indium.

An ammonium metavanadate is added to water and then this mixture is heated. Further, the mixture is completely dissolved by adding oxalic acid little by little to obtain a solution containing vanadium. On the other hand, water is added to ammonium paramolybdate and then this mixture is thermally dissolved to obtain a solution containing molybdenum. In addition, these solutions are mixed while being stirred, and indium oxide is added to the mixed solution, and a cakelike material is obtained by concentrating the final mixed solution through stirring it. After this step, the cakelike material is placed in a hot blast dryer to dry it in the air atmosphere and the obtained dry material is baked in the air. After that, the catalyst thus obtained is packed in a stainless steel reaction pipe and a mixed gas comprising ethane, oxygen and nitrogen is subjected to a chemical reaction at a specified reaction temperature and under a normal pressure. Thus, it is possible to produce acetic acid and ethylene at a high yield.