Through the combination of low-temperature hydrothermal synthesis and room-temperature evaporation, a synthetic phase similar in composition and crystal structure to the Earth's most complex mineral, ewingite, was obtained. The crystal structures of both natural and synthetic compounds are based on supertetrahedral uranyl-carbonate nanoclusters that are arranged according to the cubic body-centered lattice principle. The structure and composition of the uranyl carbonate nanocluster were refined using the data on synthetic material. Although the stability of natural ewingite is higher (according to visual observation and experimental studies), the synthetic phase can be regarded as a primary and/or metastable reaction product which further re-crystallizes into a more stable form under environmental conditions.

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry University of Notre Dame Notre Dame IN 46556 USA

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences University of Notre Dame Notre Dame IN 46556 USA

Department of Crystallography St Petersburg State University University Emb 7 9 199034 St Petersburg Russia

Fersman Mineralogical Museum of the Russian Academy of Sciences Leninskiy Pr 18 2 119071 Apatity Russia

Institute of Physics ASCR v v i Na Slovance 2 818221 Prague Czech Republic

Laboratory of Nature Inspired Technologies and Environmental Safety of the Arctic Kola Science Centre Russian Academy of Sciences Fersmana 14 184209 Apatity Russia

Nanomaterials Research Centre Kola Science Centre Russian Academy of Sciences Fersmana 14 184209 Apatity Russia

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