The crystaland molecular structure of barium 2-O-sulfonato-L-ascorbate dihydrate, Ba(C6H609S). 2H20, has been determined from three-dimensional X-ray diffractometer data. This sulfate derivative of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) crystallizes in a triclinic cell, space group P 1, with Z= 1. Cell parameters are a=5.201 (1), b=6"951 (1), c=8.732 (1)/~, a=99.54 (1), fl=93.29 (1), y=109.12 (1) °. A total of 1423 independent data were collected, and all had F2o > 10a(Fo2). The structure was solved by the heavy-atom method and refined by the full-matrix least-squares method to a final R(F) value of 0.008. With their lengths of 1.628 (2) and 1"389 (3)/~, respectively, the ester S-O bond in the sulfonatoascorbate anion is longer and the ester C-O bond is shorter than corresponding bonds in other sulfate esters. The values determined for the structural parameters of the sulfonatoascorbate anion are in good agreement with the values reported by Hvoslef [Acta Cryst. (1969). B25, 2214-2223 for the corresponding parameters in the ascorbate anion. The sulfonatoascorbate anions are linked by barium-ion coordination and a three-dimensional network of hydrogen bonds. One of the hydrogen bonds is in the edge of the bariumion coordination polyhedron.