Isethionic acid

Isethionic acid C2H6O4S is a short chain alkane sulfonate containing hydroxy group, is a water soluble liquid used in the manufacture of mild, biodegradable and high foaming anionic surfactants which provides gentle cleansing and soft skin feel.

Synthetic isethionic acid is obtained from the reaction of ethylene oxide with aqueous sodium bisulfite, and is used for the industrial production of taurine.

Biological importance
Recent studies made on dog heart slices suggested that heart tissue may be capable of converting taurine to isethionic acid, further experiments demonstrated that this tissue may synthetize taurine from cystine.