Method of processing photographic silver halide materials

Abstract: A method of processing an imagewise exposed photographic silver halide material comprising at least two dye image-forming layer units responsive to two different regions of the spectrum in which the silver halide comprises at least 85% chloride and the layer units contain a dye image-forming colour coupler the method comprising, in sequence, the steps of dye image formation, fixing in a bath which contains an alkali metal sulphite, or a material that provides sulphite, as fixing agent, bleaching in a bath containing hydrogen peroxide as bleaching agent, or a material that provides hydrogen peroxide, and an alkali metal halide, fixing in any fixing bath, and washing.

Description: Field of the Invention This invention relates to the processing of colour materials comprising at least 85 mole % silver chloride. The materials are intended for conventional processing and contain relatively high silver coverage levels. Background of the Invention In the field of low silver coverage photographic materials intended for redox amplification (RX) processes it has been proposed to use a fixer comprising an alkali metal sulphite as fixing agent and a bleach comprising a peroxide and an alkali metal halide. These proposals are described in our European Application Nos. 0 540 619, 0 506 909, and 0 470 083. Such fixers and bleaches are more environmentally friendly than thiosulphate fixers or bleaches containing ferricyanide ions or complexes of iron as the bleaching agent. The silver level, however, in conventionally processed materials is much higher than those used with RX processes hence process times are expected to be longer when they are applied to conventional materials. For example if there is more silver halide to remove, more time will be taken for the fixing step. The silver from the image can be removed by a conventional bleach-fix but this contains iron(III) EDTA which is considered a problem in the environment when sewered. A peroxide bleach immediately following the developer results in increased density cause by continued redox amplification which may result in staining. It is also difficult to maintain the desired sensitometry in such circumstances. This problem can be alleviated by incorporating an acid stop or wash bath after image formation. When the silver level higher than those used with the lowest silver RX materials it has been found that when they are processed through a process consisting of developer, sulphite fixer, peroxide rehalogenating bleach then wash, the silver chloride will print-up slowly in image areas and is very sensitive to darkening caused by sulphide in the atmosphere. Problem to be Solved by the Invention The problem is therefore to use a sulphite fixer and a peroxide rehalogenating bleach on colour silver halide materials while retaining full bleaching and fixing without suffering from variations in the sensitometric properties of the processed material or its keeping properties. Summary of the Invention According to the present invention there is provided a method of processing an imagewise exposed photographic silver halide material comprising at least two dye image-forming layer units responsive to two different regions of the spectrum in which the silver halide comprises at least 85% chloride and the layer units contain a dye image-forming colour coupler characterised in that the method comprises a single dye image-forming step and having the steps, in sequence: forming a dye image, fixing in a bath which contains an alkali metal sulphite or a material that provides sulphite as fixing agent, bleaching in a bath containing hydrogen peroxide as bleaching agent, or a material that provides hydrogen peroxide, and an alkali metal halide, fixing in any fixing bath, and washing. Advantageous Effect of the Invention The use of bleach fix baths containing a bleaching agent of the ferric EDTA type is avoided. The effects of carried-over sulphite in the bleach bath are eliminated because such sulphite will be destroyed by the peroxide present in the bleach. Silver is precipitated in the fix making silver recovery easier than usual. Detailed Description of the Invention The dye image-forming step may be a conventional colour development step and/or a redox amplification step. A particular application of this technology is in the processing of silver chloride colour paper, for example paper comprising at least 85 mole percent silver chloride, especially such paper with silver levels, of from 20 to 2000 mg/m 2 , preferably in the range 50 to 700 mg/m 2 . The sulphite fixer may contain from 20 to 150 g/l of the alkali metal sulphite (as sodium sulphite). Corresponding levels of materials that provide sulphite during processing, eg an alkali metal metabisulphite can also be used. The fixer may have a pH above 6.4, preferably in the range 6.5 to 9, especially 7.0. A buffering material may be used, for example an alkali metal acetate in order to maintain the desired pH. The bleaching agent is hydrogen peroxide or a material that provides hydrogen peroxide, eg a persulphate. The bleach bath may contain 10 to 200 g/l, preferably 30 to 100 g/l of 30% w/w hydrogen peroxide solution. The bleach bath may also contain 0.5 to 30 g/l of alkali metal halide (as sodium chloride). The bleach may also contain metal-chelating agents to avoid them catalysing the hydrogen peroxide. Such compounds may be 1-hydroxyethylidene-1,1'-diphosphonic acid or diethyltriamine-pentaacetic acid type. The bleach preferably has a pH in the range 8 to 11 and is preferably about 10. It may contain a buffer, for example an alkali metal carbonate. The photographic elements can be single colour elements or multicolour elements having a paper or film base. Multicolour elements contain dye image-forming units sensitive to each of the three primary regions of the spectrum. Each unit can be comprised of a single emulsion layer or of multiple emulsion layers sensitive to a given region of the spectrum. The layers of the element, including the layers of the image-forming units, can be arranged in various orders as known in the art. In a alternative format, the emulsions sensitive to each of the three primary regions of the spectrum can be disposed as a single segmented layer. A typical multicolour photographic element comprises a support bearing a cyan dye image-forming unit comprised of at least one red-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer having associated therewith at least one cyan dye-forming coupler, a magenta dye image-forming unit comprising at least one green-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer having associated therewith at least one magenta dye-forming coupler, and a yellow dye image-forming unit comprising at least one blue-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer having associated therewith at least one yellow dye-forming coupler. The element can contain additional layers, such as filter layers, interlayers, overcoat layers, subbing layers, and the like. Suitable materials for use in this invention, can have any of the components described in Research Disclosure Item 36544, September 1994, published by Kenneth Mason Publications, Emsworth, Hants P010 7DQ, United Kingdom. The present processing solutions are preferably used in a method of processing carried out by passing the material to be processed through a tank containing the processing solution which is recirculated through the tank at a rate of from 0.1 to 10 tank volumes per minute. The preferred recirculation rate is from 0.5 to 8, especially from 1 to 5 and particular from 2 to 4 tank volumes per minute. The recirculation, with or without replenishment, is carried out continuously or intermittently. In one method of working both could be carried out continuously while processing was in progress but not at all or intermittently when the machine was idle. Replenishment may be carried out by introducing the required amount of replenisher into the recirculation stream either inside or outside the processing tank. It is advantageous to use a tank of relatively small volume. Hence in a preferred embodiment of the present invention the ratio of tank volume to maximum area of material accomodatable therein (ie maximum path length x width of material) is less than 11 dm 3 /m 2 , preferably less than 3 dm 3 /m 2 . The shape and dimensions of the processing tank are preferably such that it holds the minimum amount of processing solution while still obtaining the required results. The tank is preferably one with fixed sides, the material being advanced therethrough by drive rollers. Preferably the photographic material passes through a thickness of solution less than 11 mm, preferably less than 5 mm and especially about 2 mm. The shape of the tank is not critical but it could be in the shape of a shallow tray or, preferably U-shaped. It is preferred that the dimensions of the tank be chosen so that the width of the tank is the same or only just wider than the width of the material to be processed. The total volume of the processing solution within the processing channel and recirculation system is relatively smaller as compared to prior art processors. In particular, the total amount of processing solution in the entire processing system for a particular module is such that the total volume in the processing channel is at least 40 percent of the total volume of processing solution in the system. Preferably, the volume of the processing channel is at least about 50 percent of the total volume of the processing solution in the system. In order to provide efficient flow of the processing solution through the opening or nozzles into the processing channel, it is desirable that the nozzles/opening that deliver the processing solution to the processing channel have a configuration in accordance with the following relationship: 0.6 ≥ F/A ≤ 23 wherein: F is the flow rate of the solution through the nozzle in litres/minute; and A is the cross-sectional area of the nozzle provided in square centimetres. Providing a nozzle in accordance with the foregoing relationship assures appropriate discharge of the processing solution against the photosensitive material. Such Low Volume Thin Tank systems are described in more detail in the following patent specifications: US 5,294,956, US 5,179,404, US 5,270,762, EP 559,025, EP 559,026, EP 559,027, WO 92/10790, WO 92/17819, WO 93/04404, WO 92/17370, WO 91/19226, WO 91/12567, WO 92/07302, WO 93/00612, WO 92/07301, and WO 92/09932 The following Examples are included for a better understanding of the invention. EXAMPLE 1 The photographic material used in this invention was a conventional colour paper, KODAK™ 'Supra', containing a pyrazolone magenta coupler, with a total silver laydown of about 650mg/m 2 . The silver halide is essentially all silver chloride but with about 3% bromide. This material was exposed in a sensitometer at 1/10s through a 0.15 log wedge with correction filters added to try to get a neutral grey scale. The wedge also includes red, green and blue separations. The following solutions were made up to be used in the processes that follow: Developer 1-hydroxyethylidene-1,1'-diphosphonic acid 0.6g diethyltriamine-pentaacetic acid 2.0g Triethanolamine 5.5mls Diethylhydroxylamine 5mls Phorwite REU 1g Potassium chloride 6.4g Potassium carbonate 25g 4-N-ethyl-N-(β-methanesulphonamidoethyl)- o -toluidine sesquisulphate 4.5g Water to 1 litre pH adjusted to 10.3 with sodium hydroxide Sulphite Fixer Sodium sulphite (anhydrous) 100.0g Sodium acetate 40.0g Water to pH adjusted to 7.0 with sulphuric acid 1 litre Accelerated Sulphite Fixer Sodium sulphite (anhydrous) 100.0g Sodium acetate 40.0g 1,2 diaminoethane 10mls Water to pH adjusted to 7.0 with sulphuric acid 1 litre Rehalogenating peroxide bleach 1 1-hydroxyethylidene-1,1'-diphosphonic acid 0.6g diethyltriamine-pentaacetic acid 2.0g Sodium chloride 1.0g Sodium hydrogen carbonate 20.0g Hydrogen peroxide (30% w/w) 50.0g Water to pH adjusted to 10.0 with sodium hydroxide or sulphuric acid 1 litre Rehalogenating peroxide bleach 2 1-hydroxyethylidene-1,1'-diphosphonic acid 1.0g Sodium chloride 20.0g Sodium hydrogen carbonate 3.0g Sodium carbonate 4.0g Hydrogen peroxide (30% w/w) 50.0g Water to pH adjusted to 10.0 with sodium hydroxide or sulphuric acid 1 litre Bleach-fix Ammonium iron (III) EDTA solution (1.56M) 100mls Ammonium thiosulphate 100g Sodium sulphite 20g Acetic acid (glacial) 15mls Water to pH adjusted to 6.0 1 litre The following is a list of process used to test the invention. All were carried out at 35°C. It is indicated for each process whether it is a comparison or an example of the invention. Process 1 (comparison) Developer 45s Bleach-fix 45s Wash 60s Dry Process 2 (invention) Developer 45s Sulphite fixer 90s Peroxide bleach 1 90s Sulphite fixer 90s Wash 60s Dry Process 3 (invention) Developer 45s Sulphite fixer 90s Peroxide bleach 2 90s Sulphite fixer 90s Wash 60s Dry Process 4 (invention) Developer 45s Accelerated sulphite fixer 60s Peroxide bleach 2 90s Accelerated sulphite fixer 60s Wash 60s Dry After processing, the strips were measured using a Status A densitometer. The results are shown as Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4. It can be seen that all the processes have similar sensitometry showing that good sensitometry, equalling the prior bleach-fix process, can be achieved using a fix, peroxide bleach, fix tailend of the present invention with or without an accelerator (diaminoethane) in the fixer and with two levels of chloride in the bleach. A strip of the same paper was also processed through Process 2 but omitting the second fixer (comparative) and therefore silver halide was retained in the image areas. The three colours of a yellow Dmax strip were measured and compared to the results obtained after hanging the same strip in a south facing window for two days. The red and green densities in this yellow patch increased by 0.05 showing that the silver halide would still print up and the second fixer bath was necessary to prevent this. EXAMPLE 2 Process 1 and Process 2 of Example 1 were repeated using the same solutions but with a paper containing a pyrazolotriazole magenta coupler (Fuji SFA-3 paper). The sensitometry is shown in Figures 5 and 6. The curves are almost identical showing that the more fix, peroxide bleach, fix process of the present invention can be substituted for the standard process with a bleach-fix for papers containing pyrazolotriazole couplers

Claims: A method of processing an imagewise exposed photographic silver halide material comprising at least two dye image-forming layer units responsive to two different regions of the spectrum in which the silver halide comprises at least 85% chloride and the layer units contain a dye image-forming colour coupler characterised in that the method comprises a single dye image-forming step and having the steps, in sequence: forming a dye image, fixing in a bath which contains an alkali metal sulphite, or a material that provides sulphite, as fixing agent, bleaching in a bath containing hydrogen peroxide as bleaching agent, or a material that provides hydrogen peroxide, and an alkali metal halide, fixing in any fixing bath, and washing. A method as claimed in claim 1 in which the dye image-forming step is a colour development and/or redox amplification step. A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which the second fixing bath contains an alkali metal or ammonium thiosulphate as fixing agent. A method as claimed in any of claims 1-3 in which the two fixing baths are replenished separately. A method as claimed in claim 4 in which either (a) the replenisher for the second fixing bath comprises the overflow from the fixer of another processing line, or (b) the overflow from the the second fixing bath is used to replenish the fixer from another processing line. A method as claimed in claim 5 in which the other processing line is for processing a colour negative film. A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which the second fixing bath contains an alkali metal sulphite as fixing agent. A method as claimed in claim 7 in which the two fixer baths are replenished using the same replenisher solution or the overflow from one bath comprises the replenisher for the other. A method as claimed in any of claims 1-8 in which the total silver halide coating weight is from 20 to 2000 mg/m 2 as silver. A method as claimed in any of claims 1-9 in which the processing is carried out by passing the material to be processed through a tank containing the processing solution which is recirculated through the tank at a rate of from 0.1 to 10 tank volumes per minute. A method as claimed in any of claims 1-10 in which the processing is carried out in a machine wherein the ratio of tank volume to maximum area of material accomodatable therein (ie maximum path length x width of material) is less than 11 dm 3 /m 2 , preferably less than 3 dm 3 /m 2 .

Inventors: EVANS GARETH BRYN, FYSON JOHN RICHARD, EVANS, GARETH BRYN, FYSON, JOHN RICHARD
Applicants: EASTMAN KODAK CO, EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY
Application year: 1996
Main classification: G03C7
IPC codes: G03C1, G03C7