Taurine

This article is about the chemical compound. For the bovine sub-species, see Taurine cattle.

Taurine

Names
Preferred IUPAC name 2-Aminoethanesulfonic acid
Other names Tauric acid
Identifiers
CAS Number	107-35-7 Y
3D model (JSmol)	Interactive image
ChEBI	CHEBI:15891 Y
ChEMBL	ChEMBL239243 Y
ChemSpider	1091 Y
DrugBank	DB01956 Y
ECHA InfoCard	100.003.168
IUPHAR/BPS	2379
KEGG	D00047 Y
PubChem CID	1123
UNII	1EQV5MLY3D Y
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)	DTXSID3021304
InChI InChI=1S/C2H7NO3S/c3-1-2-7(4,5)6/h1-3H2,(H,4,5,6) Y Key: XOAAWQZATWQOTB-UHFFFAOYSA-N Y InChI=1/C2H7NO3S/c3-1-2-7(4,5)6/h1-3H2,(H,4,5,6) Key: XOAAWQZATWQOTB-UHFFFAOYAA
SMILES O=S(=O)(O)CCN
Properties
Chemical formula	C2H7NO3S
Molar mass	125.14 g·mol−1
Appearance	colorless or white solid
Density	1.734 g/cm3 (at −173.15 °C)
Melting point	305.11 °C (581.20 °F; 578.26 K) Decomposes into simple molecules
Acidity (pKa)	<0, 9.06
Related compounds
Related compounds	Sulfamic acid Aminomethanesulfonic acid Homotaurine
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). N verify (what is YN ?) Infobox references

Taurine (/ˈtɔːriːn/ ^ⓘ; IUPAC: 2-aminoethanesulfonic acid) is a naturally occurring organic compound with the chemical formula H₂N−CH₂−CH₂−SO₂−OH in its non-zwitterionic form and H₃N⁺−CH₂−CH₂−SO−3 in its zwitterionic form, and is a non-proteinogenic amino sulfonic acid widely distributed in mammalian tissues and organs. Structurally, by containing a sulfonic acid group instead of a carboxylic acid group, it is not involved in protein synthesis but is still usually referred to as an amino acid. As non-proteinogenic amino sulfonic acid, it is not encoded by genetic code and is distinguished from the protein-building α-amino acids.

Taurine is a major constituent of bile and can be found in the large intestine. It is named after Latin taurus, meaning bull or ox, as it was first isolated from ox bile in 1827 by German scientists Friedrich Tiedemann and Leopold Gmelin.

Although taurine is abundant in human organs, it is not an essential human dietary nutrient and is not included among nutrients with a recommended intake level. Among the diverse pathways by which natural taurine can be biosynthesized, its human pathways (primarily in the human liver) are from cysteine and/or methionine.

Taurine is commonly sold as a dietary supplement. Taurine is used as a food additive to meet essential dietary intake levels for cats, and supplemental dietary support for dogs and poultry.