The conclave used a combination of potassium chlorate, lactose and chloroform resin to create the white smoke. How long does it take to choose a pope? After two days of voting, the cardinals elected a ...

Here's how the conclave creates black and white smoke and why the Catholic Church began using them to signal whether a new pope has been elected.

For white smoke, a compound of the chemicals potassium chlorate, lactose, and rosin (also known as Greek pitch) is used, ...

The Vatican’s age-old tradition of using smoke signals to announce the outcome of papal elections has received a modern scientific upgrade. For centuries, the faithful looked to the Sistine Chapel’s ...

John Paul I — the pope who reigned for 33 days in 1978 — was elected on the fourth ballot. His successor, John Paul II, needed eight. Francis was elected on the fifth in 2013. The longest conclave in ...

But if there is a winner, the burning ballots are mixed with potassium chlorate, lactose and chloroform resin to produce the white smoke. The white smoke came out of the chimney on the fifth ballot on ...

anthracene, and sulfur. White smoke is created by burning ballots with a mixture of potassium chlorate, lactose, and rosin.

For white smoke, a cartridge of potassium chlorate, lactose and chloroform resin is burned with the ballots. Bells also are rung to signal the election of a pope, for further clarity. The new pope ...

But if there is a winner, the burning ballots are mixed with potassium chlorate, lactose and chloroform resin to produce the white smoke. The white smoke came out of the chimney on the fifth ...