Methods for low energy inorganic material synthesis

A method of synthesizing an inorganic product, the method comprising:

• providing one or more inorganic compound sources of reaction elements, wherein said reaction elements react to form one or more inorganic products in a sealed reaction vessel;
• providing a reaction medium comprising water or an organic species or an inorganic species that forms an unsaturated phase at a predetermined temperature and non-standard state pressure;
• adding the reaction elements and reaction medium to the reaction vessel;
• forming an unsaturated vapor phase of the reaction medium at a predetermined temperature and non-standard state pressure, wherein the reaction vessel has a total pressure of greater than 1 atm;
• and
• reacting the reaction elements in said unsaturated vapor phase of the reaction medium to form at least one inorganic reaction product;
• wherein one or more or the temperature, unsaturated vapor pressure, and partial pressure of any gases added or produced are selected to reduce the total non-standard state change in Gibbs free energy of the chemical reaction for the formation of at least one inorganic reaction product to less than or equal to zero.