Taurine
| Names | |
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| Preferred IUPAC name
2-Aminoethanesulfonic acid | |
| Other names
Tauric acid
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| DrugBank | |
| ECHA InfoCard | 100.003.168 |
| KEGG | |
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| Properties | |
Chemical formula
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C2H7NO3S |
| Molar mass | 125.14 g/mol |
| 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
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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).
Infobox references
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Taurine (/ˈtɔːriːn/ ⓘ;[1] IUPAC: 2-aminoethanesulfonic acid[2]) is a naturally occurring organic compound with the chemical formula C2H7NO3S, and is a non-proteinogenic amino sulfonic acid widely distributed in mammalian tissues and organs.[2][3] 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.[2][4][5][6] As non-proteinogenic amino sulfonic acid, it is not encoded by the genetic code and is distinguished from the protein-building α-amino acids.[7]
Taurine is a major constituent of bile and can be found in the large intestine, and 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.[8] 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.[9][10]
Taurine is commonly sold as a dietary supplement, but there is no good clinical evidence that taurine supplements provide any benefit to human health.[11] Taurine is used as a food additive to meet essential dietary intake levels for cats,[12] and supplemental dietary support for dogs and poultry.[13]
- ^ "Oxford Learner's Dictionaries -- Taurine". Oxford Learner's Dictionaries. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 28 June 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ^ a b c "Taurine". National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ^ Schuller-Levis GB, Park E (September 2003). "Taurine: new implications for an old amino acid". FEMS Microbiology Letters. 226 (2): 195–202. doi:10.1016/S0378-1097(03)00611-6. PMID 14553911. Archived from the original on 23 November 2024.
- ^ Lehninger AL, Nelson DL, Cox MM (2013). Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry (6th ed.). New York: W.H. Freeman. p. 730. ISBN 978-1-4292-3414-6. Retrieved July 7, 2025 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Voet D, Voet JG, Pratt CW (2013). Fundamentals of Biochemistry: Life at the Molecular Level (4th ed.). John Wiley & Sons. p. 86. ISBN 978-1-118-12918-0. Retrieved July 7, 2025 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Hendler SS (1990). The Doctors' Vitamin and Mineral Encyclopedia. Simon & Schuster. p. 208. ISBN 978-0671667849. Retrieved July 7, 2025 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Nelson DL, Cox MM (2021). Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry (8th ed.). New York: W.H. Freeman. p. 866. ISBN 978-1-319-22800-2.
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