Hidden specks will blow up the world if overheated: how bad a thing is this?

I'd encourage you to take about 4 min to read the whole post.

Multiple masses of parabanic acid appear at random around the world (but see Context and constraints), displacing any matter in their way as they materialise.

Typical parabanic acid will irritate the eyes and skin. The same goes for the new anomalies, but each molecule will also, if allowed to vibrate or rotate with energy corresponding to a temperature of ≥500 K for too long*, explode with as much energy as a literal solar flare" .

Two anomalous masses are exploded by accident far from civilisation in spectacular and confusing fashion, but people soon realise what's going on. The challenge they face is...

Problem

How do we prevent 'ignition' indefinitely (at most 0.0000001% risk over a century) by contemporary or older means? Assume malicious actors exist.

Context and constraints

1. Targets: nine remaining anomalous masses, ranging in size from exactly two molecules to half an eyelash, none humanly detectable. You may assume these have a total of $2.9\times10^{-31}$ times the mass of the overall volume of stuff they're hiding in, and aren't in already over-hot locations.
   • Edit: We cannot distinguish anomalous from ordinary parabanic acid except by 'ignition', a method that breaks not only the laws of physics but entire nations.
   • If any bond is broken in an anomalous molecule, the explosion-glitch ceases.
   • The largest anomalous mass is expected to form a kugelblitz if it explodes.
2. Resources: modern, plus the following relevant modifications.
   • AI for media creation, engineering, organisational management - above human level
   • Microbots below nanotech level
   • Universal communications - radio or better available
   • ~$2.5\times10^{9}$ km² of explored land and water, even more unexplored
3. Forbidden
   • Irreversible large-scale mind or body modification, including of humans
   • Solutions involving outer space, or astronomical objects other than the planet
4. Avoid
   • Unrelated catastrophes!
5. Requirements
   • Exactly one cheap chemical process where the anomalies react completely XOR exactly one easy exploit based on the background given
   • Adequate global economic stability
   • Sticking to the existing means of this version of humanity
   • Obeying physics, apart from the violation given

Notes

*Say 1 ns is too long.

" (i) Assume infrared. (ii) Yes, explosion is impossible with real parabanic acid! (iii) The reasons for the super-antimatter energy of explosion are irrelevant.

posted about 5 years ago

kly‭

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