The alkylene oxide adduct of bis(aminoethyl)ether may be reacted with formaldehyde in the presence of hydrogen and a hydrogenation-dehydration catalyst to produce compounds of the formula ##STR1## where R is hydrogen or lower alkyl of 1 to 4 carbon atoms and R" is methyl or ##STR2## where R is as above. Monocarboxylic acid salts of these compounds show unexpectedly high efficiency as polyurethane catalysts. Smaller amounts of this amine are required to produce foams having the same reaction profile as foams made with prior art amine salt catalysts.