How to develope cationic softner?

Answer 1

Cationic softeners usually have long hydrocarbon tails and a cationic ammonium salt head. One could begin by heating stearic acid, CH3(CH2)16COOH, or lauric acid, CH3(CH2)10COOH, with ethylenediamine, H2N-CH2CH2-NH2, to get a long-tailed imidazoline (5-membered ring with N's at positions 1 and 3, one C=N double bond, and the long tail at position 2). Next treat with dimethyl sulfate to methylate the N's and generate a permanent N+ ion.