some systems that undergo spinodal decomposition have been shown to quantitatively obey LSW theory after initial stages of growth. Wagner derived that when attachment and detachment of molecules is slower than diffusion, then the growth rate becomes where is the reaction rate constant of attachment with units of length per time. Since the average radius is usually something that can be measured in experiments, it is fairly easy to tell if a system is obeying the slow-diffusion equation or the slow-attachment equation. If the experimental data obeys neither equation, then it is likely that another mechanism is taking place and Ostwald ripening is not occurring. Although LSW theory and Ostwald ripening were intended for solids ripening in a fluid, Ostwald ripening is also observed in liquid-liquid systems, for example, in an oil-in-water emulsion polymerization. In this case, Ostwald ripening causes the diffusion of monomers (i.e. individual molecules or atoms) from smaller droplets to larger droplets due to greater solubility of the single monomer molecules in the larger monomer droplets. The rate of this diffusion process is linked to the solubility of the monomer in the continuous (water) phase of the emulsion. This can lead to the destabilization of emulsions (for example, by creaming and sedimentation). Specific examples One example of Ostwald ripening is the re-crystallization of water within ice cream which gives old ice cream a gritty, crunchy texture. Larger ice crystals grow at the expense of smaller ones within the ice cream, creating a coarser texture. Another gastronomical example is the ouzo effect, where the droplets in the cloudy microemulsion grow by Ostwald ripening. In geology, it is the textural coarsening, aging or growth of phenocrysts and crystals in solid rock which is below the solidus temperature. It is often ascribed as a process in the formation of orthoclase megacrysts, as an alternative to the physical processes governing crystal growth from nucleation and growth rate thermochemical limitations. In aqueous solution chemistry and precipitates ageing, the term refers to the growth of larger crystals from those of smaller size which have a higher solubility than the larger ones. In the process, many small crystals formed initially (nuclei) slowly disappear, except for a few that grow larger, at the expense of the small crystals (crystal growth). The smaller crystals act as fuel for the growth of bigger crystals. Limiting Ostwald ripening is fundamental in modern technology for the solution synthesis of