Latent thermal initiators and protectant compositions that remain shelf stable at elevated temperatures, yet readily cure during a solder bump reflow process or other high temperature processing. The thermal initiators comprise thermally labile cation-anion pairs where the blocked cation prevents cure at low temperatures, and the unblocked cation initiates cure at high temperatures. Also provided is a method of making a preferred initiator comprising the cation [N-(4- methylbenzy!)-N,N-dimethylanalinium] and the anion [N(SO 2 CF 3 ) 2 ].