Recipes <\/p>\n
The Pyrotechnic Chemistry of the Vatican\u2019s Pope Smoke Signals Explained<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n
Pyrotechnic chemistry drives the Vatican\u2019s recipes for the black and white smoke used to announce papal election outcomes<\/p>\n
By Meghan Bartels<\/a> edited by Clara Moskowitz<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Black smoke billows from the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel indicating that the College of Cardinals have failed to elect a new Pope on March 13, 2013 in Vatican City, Vatican.<\/p>\n Dan Kitwood\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n The Vatican\u2019s cardinals gather in conclave today to begin electing the successor to the late Pope Francis<\/a>\u2014which means the world\u2019s attention is on a chimney attached to the Sistine Chapel. Here puffs of black smoke mark voting rounds that fail to converge on a winner until the cardinals announce that they have come to an agreement by releasing a plume of white smoke, the dramatic prelude to the unveiling of the new leader of the Roman Catholic world.<\/p>\n Although the ritual may feel like something from another era, the papal conclave\u2019s colored smoke signals only came into use in 1903<\/a>, according to NBC News\u2014a relatively recent development for a process that\u2019s been going on for nearly a millennium. Historically, the signals have sometimes been ambiguous, but for recent elections, the Vatican has clearly consulted with scientific experts to ensure the Sistine Chapel\u2019s chimney announces a clear verdict. Around the time of the 2013 conclave that elected Pope Francis, the Vatican published the ingredients of each smoke mix. (The Holy See Press Office did not respond to requests for confirmation that the same recipes remain in use this year.) Here\u2019s the chemistry<\/a> behind the conclave\u2019s smoke announcements.<\/p>\n![\"recipes](\"https:\/\/static.scientificamerican.com\/dam\/m\/73b83dfc8a0c20d7\/original\/conclave-black-smoke.jpg?m=1746218119.975&w=600\")