Treatment of 1,2-epoxyhexadecane (I) with concentrated HBr at 65 C gives rise to bromohydrin (II). This is then condensed with N,N-dimethyl ethanolamine (III) to produce the title ammonium salt.

In a related procedure, halogenation of 1-hexadecene (I) with N-bromosuccinimide in THF/H2O leads to a mixture of regioisomeric bromohydrins (II) and (III). Refluxing of this mixture of bromohydrins with N,N-dimethyl ethanolamine (IV) in MeOH gives rise to the title ammonium salt as the only isomer.