The process of producing a separable solid phase within a liquid medium. In a broad sense, precipitation represents the formation of a new condensed phase, although other terms are often used to describe the process. Thus (1) a vapor or gas condenses to liquid droplets, or more specifically as in meteorology, water vapor in the atmosphere precipitates to form rain, snow, or ice; (2) a substance in the liquid state freezes or solidifies; (3) a dissolved component crystallizes from a supersaturated solution; (4) a new solid phase gradually precipitates within a solid alloy as the result of a slow, inner chemical reaction; or (5) a metal electrodeposits upon the passage of an electrical current through a solution.