Density functional calculations have been carried out to investigate the source and major species of CH x (x ¼ 1-3) involved in acetic acid synthesis from methane-syngas on the Rh(111) surface. All possible formation pathways of CH x (x ¼ 1-3) from methane and syngas have been systematically investigated. For CH x formation from methane, our results show that CH is the most abundant species; for CH x formation from syngas, all CH x (x ¼ 1-3) species form from CHO by CO hydrogenation, and the optimal formation routes of CH x show that CH and CH 3 are the most abundant species rather than CH 2 and CH 3 OH. On the other hand, CH formed by methane is more favourable than CH and CH 3 formed by syngas; meanwhile, CO insertion into CH x species to form C 2 oxygenates as acetic acid precursors is more favourable than CO hydrogenation to CH and CH 3 . As a result, in acetic acid synthesis from methanesyngas, CH x (x ¼ 1-3) species come from methane rather than syngas, and the corresponding primary species is CH. In addition, the CO in syngas is predominantly responsible for insertion reactions that produce CHCO, which is a C 2 oxygenate precursor leading to the formation of acetic acid. Furthermore, microkinetic modelling analysis shows that the major product of acetic acid synthesis from methanesyngas on the Rh(111) surface is CH 3 COOH, and that the production of CH 3 OH cannot compete with that of CH 3 COOH.