Detonation of different compositions of acetylene-oxygen mixtures by both chlorine gas injection and a shock wave as initiators is studied in this research. The chlorine gas is injected into the detonation tube through a reticular plate nozzle at the moment when a thin aluminum foil separating the injection system from the detonation tube is torn by a pressurized nitrogen gas. The results of experiments show that chemical initiation may be as effective as direct initiation of detonation and, therefore, replace more complicated methods of initiation. The best results are obtained in acetyleneoxygen mixtures with the molar ratio of 1 : 1.