Abstract: A process for making a tertiary amine ester of the following formula (I): the process comprising: (a) reacting a ketone or an aldehyde having the formula  with a glycol to form a ketal or an acetal; (b) reacting the ketal or the acetal with acrylonitrile to form an ether nitrile; (c) reducing the ether nitrile to a tertiary amine ketal or a tertiary amine acetal; (d) hydrolyzing the tertiary amine ketal or the tertiary amine acetal to a tertiary amine diol; and (e) esterifying the tertiary amine diol to the tertiary amine ester of formula (I), wherein R1 and R2 are each independently a hydrogen atom or a linear, branched, or cyclic alkyl, alkylene, alkaryl, or aryl-containing group containing 1 to 18 carbon atoms; and each R3 are each independently of one another fatty acid radicals having 6-22 carbon atoms.

Abstract: Compounds of the formula R--?C(O)O(CH.sub.2).sub.1-5 !.sub.0-1 --C(O)NH(CH.sub.2).sub.2-5 --N(R.sup.2)--(CH.sub.2).sub.2-5 --OC(O)R.sup.1 wherein R and R.sup.1 are each C.sub.8 -C.sub.22 alkyl or alkenyl and R.sup.2 is C.sub.1 -C.sub.3 alkyl or hydroxyalkyl, benzyl, or --C.sub.2 H.sub.4 OC(O)R.sup.4 wherein R.sup.4 is C.sub.8 -C.sub.22 alkyl or alkenyl, and acid salts and derivatives of such compounds quaternized with methyl, ethyl or benzyl, exhibit useful fabric softening and static reduction properties, as well as biodegradability.