Disclosed herein is a blocked mercaptosilane selected from the group consisting of[[(ROC(═O))p—(G)j]k—Y—S]r—G—(SiX3)s; and (1)[(X3Si)q—G]a—[Y—[S—G—SiX3]b]c (2)whereinY is a polyvalent species (Q)zA(═E) selected from the group consisting of —C(═NR)—; —SC(═NR)—; —SC(═O)—; —OC(═O)—; —S(═O)—; —S(═O)2—; —OS(═O)2—; (—NR)S(═O)2—; —SS(═O)—; —OS(═O)—; (—NR)S(═O)—; —SS(═O)2—; (—S)2P(═O)—; —(—S)P(═O)—; —P(═O)(—)2; (—S)2P(═S)—; —(—S)P(═S)—; —P(═S)(—)2; (—NR)2P(═O)—; (—NR)(—S)P(═O)—; (—O)(—NR)P(═O)—; (—O)(—S)P(═O)—; (—O)2P(═O)—; —(—O)P(═O)—; —(—NR)P(═O)—; (—NR)2P(═S)—; (—NR)(—S)P(═S)—; (—O)(—NR)P(═S)—; (—O)(—S)P(═S)—; (—O)2P(═S)—; —(—O)P(═S)—; and —(—NR)P(═S)—; wherein the atom A attached to unsaturated heteroatom E is attached to the sulfur which in turn is linked via a group G to the silicon atom;each R is chosen independently from hydrogen, straight, cyclic, or branched alkyl that may or may not contain unsaturation, alkenyl groups, aryl groups, and aralkyl groups, with each R containing from 1 to 18 carbon atoms;each G is independently a monovalent or polyvalent group derived by substitution of alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, or aralkyl, wherein G can contain from 1 to 18 carbon atoms, with the proviso that G is not such that the blocked mercaptosilane would contain an α,β-unsaturated carbonyl that can undergo polymerization reactions, and if G is univalent, G can be a hydrogen atom;X is independently selected from the group consisting of —Cl, —Br, RO—, RC(═O)O—, R2C═NO—, R2NO—, R2N—, —R, and —(OSiR2)t(OSiR3) wherein each R is as above and at least one X is not —R;p is 0 to 5; r is 1 to 3; z is 0 to 2; q is 0 to 6; a is 0 to 7; b is 1 to 3; j is 0 to 1, but it may be 0 only if p is 1; c is 1 to 6; t is 0 to 5; s is 1 to 3; k is 1 to 2; with the provisos that (I) if A is carbon, sulfur or sulfonyl, then (i) a+b is 2 and (ii) k is 1; (II) if A is phosphorus, then a+b is 3 unless both (i) c is greater than 1 and (ii) b is 1, in which case a is c+1; and (III) if A is phosphorus, then k is 2.