Thioether substituted silver halide solvents

A photographic process comprising the steps of

• (1) developing exposed silver halide of an imagewise exposed photosensitive silver halide emulsion layer carried on a support with a silver halide developing agent in aqueous alkaline solution;
• (2) reacting unreduced silver halide of said photosensitive emulsion with a silver halide solvent which forms a silver complex soluble and diffusible in said aqueous alkaline solution, said silver halide solvent being a compound of the formula M--[(X).sub.n --T].sub.m wherein M represents an aliphatic or aromatic moiety, Y--A, wherein A is an atom selected from O, N and C ionizable in said alkaline solution to the corresponding O.sup..crclbar., N.sup..crclbar. and C.sup..crclbar. anion and Y represents the residue of said moiety;
• T is R--S-- or ##STR27## wherein R is a monovalent hydrocarbon radical and R' represents the carbon atoms necessary to complete an aromatic or aliphatic ring;
• X represents a methylene group;
• n is a whole number from 0 to 5;
• and m is 1 or 2, said --S-- of said R--S-- and said ##STR28## being positioned alpha, beta, gamma, delta, epsilon or zeta to said anion;
• (3) transferring said complex silver salt to a superposed image-receiving layer;
• and
• (4) reducing said transferred complex silver salt to provide a silver image.

A photographic product which comprises a first sheet-like element comprising a photosensitive silver halide emulsion layer on a support, a second sheet-like element adapted to be superposed with said first sheet-like element and means for retaining an aqueous alkaline processing solution between said first and second sheet-like elements, said processing solution containing a silver halide solvent which forms a siver complex soluble in said aqueous alkaline solution, said silver halide solvent being a compound of the formula M--[(X).sub.n --T].sub.m wherein M represents an aliphatic or aromatic moiety, Y--A, wherein A is an atom selected from O, N and C ionizable in said alkaline solution to the corresponding O.sup..crclbar., N.sup..crclbar. and C.sup..crclbar. anion and Y represents the residue of said moiety;

• T is ##STR38## wherein R is a monovalent hydrocarbon radical and R' represents the carbon atoms necessary to complete an aromatic or aliphatic ring;
• X represents a methylene group;
• n is a whole number from 0 to 5;
• and m is 1 or 2, said --S-- of said R--S-- and said ##STR39## being positioned alpha, beta, gamma, delta, epsilon or zeta to said anion.

A photographic process comprising the steps of

• (1) developing exposed silver halide of an imagewise exposed photosensitive silver halide emulsion layer carried on a support with a silver halide developing agent in aqueous alkaline solution;
• (2) reacting unreduced silver halide of said photosensitive emulsion with a silver halide solvent which forms a silver complex soluble in said aqueous alkaline solution, said silver halide solvent being a compound selected from ##STR61## wherein one of R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 is --CH.sub.2x SR.sup.3 and the other of said R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 is --CH.sub.2y SR.sup.3 wherein R.sup.3 is alkyl or alkyl substituted with a solubilizing group, x is a whole number 0 or 1 and y is a whole number from 0 to 5;
• (3) transferring said complex silver salt to a a superposed image-receiving layer;
• and
• (4) reducing said transferred complex silver salt to provide a silver image.

A photographic product which comprises a first sheet-like element comprising a photosensitive silver halide emulsion layer on a support, a second sheet-like element adapted to be superposed with said first sheet-like element and means for retaining an aqueous alkaline processing solution between said first and second sheet-like elements, at least one of said elements and said processing solution containing a silver halide solvent which forms a silver complex soluble in said aqueous alkaline solution, said silver halide solvent being a compound of the formula M--[(X).sub.n --T].sub.m wherein M represents an aliphatic or aromatic moiety, Y--A, wherein A is an atom selected from O, N and C ionizable in said alkaline solution to the corresponding O.sup.63 , N.sup.63 and C.sup.63 anion and Y represents the residue of said moiety;

• T is R--S-- or ##STR73## wherein R is a monovalent hydrocarbon radical and R' represents the carbon atoms necessary to complete an aromatic or aliphatic ring;
• X represents a methylene group;
• n is a whole number from 0 to 5;
• and m is 1 or 2, said --S-- of said R--S-- and said ##STR74## being positioned alpha, beta, gamma, delta, epsilon or zeta to said anion, said M being selected from a 2-amino-4-hydroxy-1,3,5-triazine, a 1,2,3,4-tetrazole, a 5-pyrazolone, a 1,2-disulfonyl-alkane, a sulfonamido derivative of an amino acid, a 2,4-dihydroxypyrimidine and a 4,6-dihydroxypyrimidine moiety.