The present invention relates to metallic zinc cluster compounds which are suitable as catalysts in the reaction of amines with dialkyl carbonates to produce carbamates. The invention is also directed towards a method for the alkoxycarbonylation of amines. The cluster compound has a general formula which may be written as [M(O2C—R)2]x.[MO]y.[H2O]z, wherein M is Zn, R is an unsubstituted or substituted aromatic, cycloaliphatic, linear aliphatic, or other organic rest, x is 1, y is ≥x is 1, y is ≥0.03 to ≤26.0 and z is >0.00 to ≤17.0.