A finely divided refractory solid and an associated method are provided. The solid may have a surface area that is greater than about 5 square meters per gram. The solid may have a density of active surface termination sites per square nanometer of surface area sufficiently low that a curable composition comprising a curable resin that comprises less than about 99 percent by weight of the solid has a stability ratio of less than about 3 after a period of about two weeks. Also, a curable composition, a cured layer, and an electronic device that includes the cured layer are provided.