Radiation imagery chemistry: process – composition – or product th – Post imaging processing – Stabilizing
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-22
2001-09-18
Le, Hoa Van (Department: 1752)
Radiation imagery chemistry: process, composition, or product th
Post imaging processing
Stabilizing
C430S463000, C430S943000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06291147
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a processing method of a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material (hereinafter referred to as a light-sensitive material) by using an automatic processor and specifically, to an extremely improved stain caused by fur and alga in washing tank, and to a processed light-sensitive material with extremely improved stain.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conventionally, a silver halide black-and-white photographic light-sensitive material is exposed imagewise, then processed in the processes including each process of development, fixation, washing and drying. In these processes, fixation process is carried out using fixing solution containing an aqueous soluble aluminum compound (so-called hardening fixer) so that the light-sensitive material is hardened, leading to shortening of processing time and improvement of transferring the light-sensitive material in an automatic processor.
In recent years, a decrease in the processing solution effuluent has been strongly demanded in terms of environmental protection. This is also preferred from the viewpoint of cost of processing solution effuluent. However, reducing fixing replenishment solution results in raising the concentration of silver and organic compounds which leach out of the light-sensitive material in the fixing solution. The raised concentration of silver and organic compounds in the fixing solution caused more increased stain in the tank of next washing process (silver sludge, fur, alga etc.), and this stain adheres to transferring roller in the washing tank and outlet roller of the washing tank, further to the surface of the processed light-sensitive material resulting in inferior photographic characteristics. Therefore, reducing fixing replenishment solution has faced limitation.
Hardening fixer containing an aqueous soluble aluminum compound produces an aqueous insoluble aluminum salt with increasing of pH. To prevent it, it is preferred to lower pH, but as fixer contains thiosulfate salt(s) as a major agent, it causes vulcanization of a major agent at low pH. For this reason, conventionally fixer is used in the pH range of 4.2 to 5.4, nevertheless in this pH range, it is impossible to prevent the formation of an aqueous insoluble aluminum compound. Especially, in reducing fixing replenishment solution, increased concentration of various salts induces easily the formation of aqueous solution insoluble alminum compound. To solve this problem, large amount of boron compound has been used. The boron compound is carried over to next washing tank by the light-sensitive material and tends to induce supernutrition, therefore the stain in the washing tank deteriorates more and more.
To meet this problem, purification agent MB-1 (produced by Konica Co., Ltd.) was in the market. However, it has been gradually impossible to completely prevent the stain in the washing tank in recent very low rate of fixing replenishment solution.
On the other hand, it is known that organic acid can be the alternative to the boron compound, for example, in stead of the boron compound, organic acids such as gluconic acid and glycollic acid are described in Research Disclosure (RD) 18728. Other alternatives are described in RD 16768, Japanese Patent Publication Open to Public Inspection (hereinafter referred to as JP-A) No. 63-284546.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, in view of the foregoing, the present invention was accomplished. An object of the present invention is to provide a method in which a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material is fixed by reducing an extreme amount of fixing replenishment rate and is processed by reducing an extreme amount of stain in a washing tank of an automatic processor together with excellent maintenance.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Above objects of the invention could be attained by the following methods.
1. A method for processing a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material comprising the following steps,
a step for developing an exposed silver halide photographic light-sensitive material in a developing solution,
a step for fixing said developed silver halide photographic light-sensitive material in a fixing solution containing thiosulfate salt and alminum salt,
a step for washing said fixed silver halide photographic light-sensitive material in a washing water, wherein said fixing solution does not substantially contain a boron compound but contains at least a precipitation restraining agent and said washing water contains an oxidizing agent.
2. The method for processing the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material of item 1, wherein said washing water is made by mixing a solution containing said oxidizing agent or a solid composition containing said oxidizing agent with water.
3. The method for processing the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material of item 2, wherein mixing said solution containing said oxidizing agent or said composition containing said oxidizing agent with water is carried out in a washing tank or a stabilizing tank of an automatic processor.
4. The method for processing the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material of item 1, wherein said precipitation restraining agent includes at least one of gluconic acid, glycollic acid, maleic acid, imidinoacetic acid, and 5-sulfosalicylic acid, and their derivatives, and their salts, and salts of their derivatives.
5. The method for processing the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material of item 1, wherein said oxidizing agent is hydrogen peroxide.
6. The method for processing the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material of item 1, wherein replenishing solution of said fixing solution is replenished in an amount of not more than 400 ml/m
2
.
7. The method for processing the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material of item 1, wherein the replenishing solution of said fixing solution is prepared by dissolving a solid processing composition in water, comprising at least one part molded in a solid form containing a mixture of at least two components.
8. The method for processing the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material of item 1, wherein said washing water contains bactericide.
9. The method for processing the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material of item 1, wherein said washing water contains a compound represented by the following formula (1);
Formula (1)
HO—(C
2
H
4
O)
n
—(C
3
H
6
O)
m
—(C
2
H
4
O)
l
—H
[in the formula, n, m and l represent each a positive integer].
10. The method for processing the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material of claim
1
, wherein said washing water contains at least one of salicylic acid, salicylic acid salt, derivative of salicylic acid and salt of the derivative of salicylic acid.
11. The method for processing the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material of item 1, wherein said washing water contains silver sludge preventing compound represented by the following formula (2);
Formula (2)
Z
1
—SM
1
[In the formula, Z
1
represents an alkyl group, an aromatic group or a heterocyclic group, each of which has a substituent having a group selected from the group consisting of a hydroxyl group, an —SO
3
M
2
group, a —COOM
2
group, (in which M
2
represents a hydrogen atom, an alkali metal atom, or a substituted and unsubstituted ammonium ion), a substituted and unsubstituted amino group, and a substituted and unsubstituted ammonio group, or a substituent having at least one selected from the above mentioned group; Ml represents a hydrogen atom, an alkali metal atom or a substituted or unsubstituted amidino group, (which may form a salt with a hydrogen halide or a sulfonic acid)].
12. The method for processing the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material of item 1, wherein said fixing solution contains chelating agent of which chelate stabilization constant with calcium ion is 0.8 to 5.0.
A processing method in which a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material, which is expo
Bierman Jordan B.
Bierman, Muserlian and Lucas
Konica Corporation
Le Hoa Van
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