Urea derivatives, methods for preparing ethylene amines, and methods of polymer manufacturing are provided. An exemplary method for preparing ethylene amines with n ethylene units and n+1 amine groups wherein n is at least 4, or urea derivatives of said ethylene amines, includes reacting an ethanolamine-functional compound, an amine-functional compound, and a carbon oxide delivering agent, wherein the ethanolamine-functional compound is of the formula HO—(C2H4-NH-)qH, q is at least 1, the amine-functional compound is of the formula H2N—(C2H4-NH-)rH, r is at least 1, the sum q+r is at least 4 and wherein optionally one or more of the ethanol-amine functional compound or amine-functional compound are at least partly used as their cyclic carbamate derivative, or linear or cyclic urea derivative.