Abstract: A novel rosin-based carbamate (R-Ca) was prepared by the reaction of N,N-dimethylaminopropylamine with rosin-based cyclic carbonate (R-C) which was prepared by treatment of carbon dioxide with rosin-based epoxides (R-E), using LiBr in conjunction with ethylene glycol as catalyst. Three rosin-based quaternary ammonium salt derivatives (R-Q) were synthesized from the carbamate via quaterisation reaction. The chemical structures of all new compounds were characterized by FT-IR,¹HNMR and ¹³CNMR. Surface tension, emulsifying ability and the foaming power of the quaternary ammonium salt derivatives were investigated and the critical micelle concentrations (CMC) were determined. The results showed that three quaternary ammonium salt derivatives with strong emulsifying ability and foaming ability; the CMC of the quaternary ammonium salt derivatives' aqueous solutions were 1.86×10^-5, 1.29×10^-5 and 4.07×10^-6 mol/L, respectively; the surface tensions at CMC were 33.5, 32.2 and 29.4 mN/m, respectively; and the surface activities increased with the growth of alkyl chain.