What is "isethionic acid"

n. A short-chain alkane sulfonic acid used in the manufacture of anionic surfactants.

Isethionic acid is an organosulfur compound containing a alkyl sulfonic acid located beta to a hydroxy group. Its discovery is generally attributed to Heinrich Gustav Magnus, who prepared it by the action of solid sulphur trioxide on ethanol in 1833. It is a white water-soluble solid used in the manufacture of certain surfactants and in the industrial production of taurine.