97Reaction of hydroxyethylpiperazine with two moles of fatty acid, followed by quaternization with methyl chloride, methyl bromide or dimethyl sulfate, resulted in new quaternaries useful as biodegradable fabric softeners. Additional softeners were synthesized from hard tallow propane diamine by reaction with butyrolactone, followed by ethoxylation, esterification with one mole of fatty acid and quaternization. KEY WORDS: Biodegradable, butyrolactone, ester quats, fabric softeners, hydroxyethyl piperazine, quaternaries.8a X = MeSO4 bX= CI cX = Br