Carbon based naphthalenesulfonic acid was used as a catalyst in the synthesis of alkenyl succinic anhydride (ASA) from nonterminal olefin of C13~C14 and maleic anhydride. The catalytic activity and stability of the catalyst were evaluated quantitatively by gas chromatography. The results show that carbon based naphthalenesulfonic acid catalyst has high activity and good stability in the synthesis of ASA. When the activation temperature of catalyst is 250 ℃, the optimum conditions are as follows: reaction temperature 190 ℃, reaction time 4 h, weight ratio of catalyst to reactant 1∶100, molar ratio of nonterminal olefin to anhydride is 3∶1, and the weight percentage of antioxidant 2,6-di-tert-butyl-p-cresol is 0.5%. Under the above conditions, the yield of ASA can reach 59.6%.