The combustion characteristics of a mixture of acetaldehyde, oxygen and argon behind a reflected shock wave at temperatures ranging from 1320 to 1897 K at 100 torr were studied. The emission from the OH radical at 306.4 nm and the pressure profile behind the reflected shock were measured to monitor ignition delay time. The ignition delay times were computed from a proposed mechanism of 110 elementary reactions involving 34 species. The simulation and sensitivity analysis confirm that the main channel for oxidation of acetaldehyde at high temperature consists of the Rice-herzfeld mechanism, the decomposition and oxidation of HCO, and the reaction of H with $O_2$.