Habemus Papam, We have a pope! These are the lines we have been hearing since yesterday from when the conclave ended. We all know that Jorge Mario Bergoglio has been elected the 266th Pontiff after the shocking resignation of Pope Benedict XIV. The election took five ballots for finalization. One day of black smoke, and white smoke the very next from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel where the conclave was being held.

Yeah, yeah! Common knowledge. Every one knows that. But, do you know how the Vatican's make their holy smoke communicating a message to the tens of thousands of devout Catholics waiting outside the chapel just to hear the news of the election of a new pope?

The secret recipe for the smoke was revealed by the Vatican on Wednesday after Pope Francis was elected. For the Black Smoke, they use a combination of Potassium perchlorate, sulfur and anthracene (a derivative of coal tar). The ballot papers from the day are burnt along with these chemicals in a two tier stove.

For the White Smoke, they use Potassium Chlorate, lactose and a pine resin along with the ballot papers. The first stove burns the ballot papers while another stove which is triggered later will emanate the smoke with the color that is indicative of the decision.

For either of the smokes they add enough chemical to ensure that the smoke stays thick and lasts for a good seven minutes for people to acknowledge. In fact, there are five cartridges of the chemicals which burn for over a minute each. So what you see on top of the Sistine Chapel is a mixture of the chemical smoke and a natural smoke from the ballot papers.

Even with such thick plumes of smoke, lasting about seven minutes, there is no harm to the magnificent frescoes inside the Sistine Chapel. The Cardinals also have no suffocation or other such complications from this smoke.

(AW- Anil)