Surfactant compositions containing compounds according to structure (I), and methods of making them, are disclosed. The compounds provide reduced dynamic and equilibrium surface tension, good solubility, moderate foaming, and good cleaning performance. The methods for making them involve reaction of N-(polyhydroxyalkyl)-alkylamines with dinitriles, dialdehydes, or acetals or hemiacetals of dialdehydes in the presence of hydrogen and a transition metal catalyst. In structure (I), x is an integer from about 1 to 12, R1 and R2 are independently C3-C30 linear alkyl, cyclic alkyl, branched alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, alkylaryl, alkoxyalkyl, and dialkylaminoalkyl; and R3 and R4 are independently hydrogen or a pyranosyl group such as α-D-glucopyranosyl, β-D-glucopyranosyl, or β-D-galactopyranosyl.