Novel amphiphilic N-alkyl-, N-decenyl-, and N-alkyl-N’-methyl-semicarbazones of maltose and maltotriose with CnH2n+1 alkyl chains and n=8,9,10,11,12,16 were applied as emulsifiers in styrene emulsion polymerization. Surfactant properties, emulsion polymerization, and theology were examined as a function of amphiphile molecular architectures. Both critical micelle concentration and average polystyrene particle size increased with decreasing alkyl chain length. Using N-methyl-N-[11-(acryloylamino)-undecanoyl]-glucamine comonomer in a starved feed emulsion polymerization process, it was possible to prepare uniform polystyrene latex with glucamide surface.