Energy dispersive X-ray diffraction (EDXRD) techniques are applied to study the development of crystalline phases during the synthesis of microporous materials. We present data for both zeolite A and AlPO-5 systems. We explore the effects of template concentration and of temperature. The measured activation energy for zeolite A of similar to 58 kJ mol(-1) accords well with that observed for other silicate systems. The kinetics revealed by our study accord with the nucleation/growth model of the Avrami-Erofeev treatment.