This week, 133 cardinals have gathered in the Vatican to elect a new leader of the Catholic church. During their ...

The Vatican’s cardinals gather in conclave today to begin electing the successor to the late Pope Francis—which means the ...

Pyrotechnic chemistry drives the Vatican’s recipes for the black and white smoke used to announce papal election outcomes ...

In 2013, the Vatican confirmed that their fumata recipes now consist of a clear black smoke recipe: potassium perchlorate ...

Criegee intermediates (CIs)—highly reactive species formed when ozone reacts with alkenes in the atmosphere—play a crucial ...

Tradition holds that black smoke indicates the cardinals have not yet agreed on a new leader, while white smoke signals that ...

What is the science behind the smoke signals on the Sistine Chapel to announce if a new pope has been elected?

At that stage, the smoke diminishes and becomes much lighter. The result is a deliberately inefficient combustion reaction, producing a high volume of unburnt carbon particles. This abundance of ...

White smoke was seen emanating from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, indicating that a two-thirds vote has been reached to ...

According to the State Fire Marshal’s Office, there were 48 lithium-ion battery fires related to storm surge from Hurricane ...

The conclave to elect the 267th pope ended after the second day of voting on Thursday, marking one of the shortest conclaves ...

The secret ingredients that turn the conclave smoke black or white - The smoke is used to signal whether a new Pope has been ...