Disclosed herein are methods of making ceragnenin compounds for treating, preventing, or diagnosing diseases, disorders, or conditions associated with bacterial or viral infections, cancer, inflammation, and osteogenesis. Ceragenin compounds display broad-spectrum antibacterial activity utilizing a mode of action similar to antimicrobial peptides, but without the high synthesis costs and susceptibility to proteolytic degradation. Ceragenin compounds reproduce the amphiphilic morphology found in many antimicrobial peptides and display potent and diverse biological activities, including anti-bacterial, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, bone growth promotion, and wound healing promotion.