Answer:
The hydroxyl groups in alcohol molecules are responsible for hydrogen bonding between the alcohol molecules. As greater energy is required to overcome these strong intermolecular forces, the melting points and boiling points of alcohols are higher than those of alkanes with a corresponding chain length
Since we're talking about a chain reaction, I think this would be a) self-sustaining. Chain reactions are not usually described as "weak" and can be highly explosive depending upon the compounds (think Uranium!).
The first (artificial) self-sustaining nuclear reaction is attributed to Enrico Fermi in 1942. Here's a bit of history:
http://www.atomicarchive.com/History/firstpile/firstpile_01.shtml
Explanation:
Gravitational potential energy
= mgh = (45kg)(9.81N/kg)(2m) = 882J.
