Zeolite analogues containing transition metals are highly desirable for industrial processes. A generalized synthesis method has been developed and demonstrated to have the potential to generate many transition-metal-rich zeolite-type structures. The method has been used to make zeolite analogues based on cobalt phosphate with diverse chemical compositions and structure types, including some analogues never previously synthesized and some zeolite-like structures only previously known theoretically. The concentrations of transition-metal atoms in the frameworks can be controlled by varying the charge and geometry of the structure-directing amine molecules.