Novel xanthene compounds and photographic products and processes employing the same

A photographic product for forming a multicolor diffusion transfer image, said product comprising a first sheet-like element comprising a first support carrying a red-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer, a green-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer, and a blue-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer, said silver halide emulsion layers having associated therewith, respectively, a cyan image dye-providing material, a magenta image dye-providing material and a yellow image dye-providing material;

• a second sheet-like element comprising a second support;
• said first and second sheet-like elements being in superposed relationship, or adapted to be brought into superposed relationship, with said supports being outermost;
• at least one of said supports being transparent to permit photoexposure of said silver halide emulsions therethrough;
• a rupturable container releasably holding an aqueous alkaline processing composition, said rupturable container being so positioned as to be capable of discharging said processing composition between a pair of predetermined layers carried by said supports;
• an image-receiving layer carried by one of said supports;
• and a colored xanthene compound being disposed in a processing composition permeable layer carried by one of said supports, said xanthene compound selected from those having the formulae ##STR58## wherein each R.sup.1 the same or different is alkyl;
• each R.sup.2 the same or different is an electron-withdrawing group having a positive sigma value greater than 0.6;
• X is ##STR59## wherein R.sup.3 is alkyl;
• Y is an electron-withdrawing group;
• n is 0 or 1;
• and A is an anion.

A photographic process which comprises the steps of exposing a photosensitive film comprising a plurality of layers including at least one photosensitive silver halide emulsion layer carried on a support, at least one of said layers containing a colored xanthene compound having the formulae ##STR63## wherein each R.sup.1 the same or different is alkyl;

• each R.sup.2 the same or different is an electron-withdrawing group having a positive sigma value greater than 0.6;
• X is ##STR64## wherein R.sup.3 is alkyl;
• Y is an electron-withdrawing group;
• n is 0 or 1;
• and A is an anion and contacting said photosensitive silver halide emulsion layer(s) with an aqueous alkaline processing composition having an alkaline pH to effect development.

A photographic process which comprises, in combination, the steps of:

• (a) exposing a photosensitive film unit comprising a plurality of layers including a support carrying at least one photosensitive silver halide emulsion layer having associated therewith an image-providing material, an image-receiving layer adapted to receive a solubilized image-providing material diffusing thereto, at least one of said layers on the same side of said support as said silver halide layer(s) containing a colored xanthene compound selected from those having the formulae ##STR65## wherein each R.sup.1 the same or different is alkyl;
• each R.sup.2 the same or different is an electron-withdrawing group having a positive sigma value greater than 0.6;
• X is ##STR66## wherein R.sup.3 is alkyl;
• Y is an electron-withdrawing group;
• n is 0 or 1;
• and A is an anion;
• (b) contacting said silver halide layer(s) and said colored compound with a processing composition having an alkaline pH;
• (c) effecting thereby development of said silver halide layer(s);
• (d) maintaining the pH of said processing composition in contact with said colored compound at an alkaline pH for a time sufficient to effect irreversible cleavage of said X group whereby said colored compound is converted to a colorless ring-closed compound;
• (e) forming as a result of said development, an imagewise distribution of diffusible image-providing material;
• and
• (f) transferring, by diffusion, at least a portion of said imagewise distribution of diffusible image-providing material to said layer adapted to receive said material to provide a transfer image thereto.

A photographic process for forming a multicolor diffusion transfer image which comprises the steps of:

• (a) exposing a photosensitive film unit which includes, in combination, a first sheet-like element comprising a first support carrying a red-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer, a green-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer, and a blue-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer, said silver halide emulsion layers having associated therewith, respectively, a cyan image dye-providing material, a magenta image dye-providing material and a yellow image dye-providing material;
• a second sheet-like element comprising a second support;
• said first and second sheet-like elements being in superposed relationship, or adapted to be brought into superposed relationship, with said supports being outermost;
• at least one of said supports being transparent to photoexposure of said silver halide emulsions therethrough;
• a rupturable container releasably holding an aqueous alkaline processing composition, said rupturable container being so positioned as to be capable of discharging said processing composition between a pair of predetermined layers carried by said supports;
• an image-receiving layer carried by one of said supports;
• and a colored compound disposed in a processing composition permeable layer carried by one of said supports, said colored compound being a xanthene compound having the formulae ##STR70## wherein each R.sup.1 the same or different is alkyl;
• each R.sup.2 the same or different is an electron-withdrawing group having a positive sigma value greater than 0.6;
• X is ##STR71## wherein R.sup.3 is alkyl;
• Y is an electron-withdrawing group;
• n is 0 or 1;
• and A is an anion, said X group undergoing an irreversible cleavage reaction with base that is complete within a predetermined time at a predetermined alkaline pH;
• (b) contacting said silver halide layer(s) and said colored compound with a processing composition having an alkaline pH at least as high as said predetermined pH;
• (c) effecting thereby development of said silver halide layer(s);
• (d) maintaining the pH of said processing composition in contact with said colored compound at least as high as said predetermined alkaline pH for a time sufficient to effect irreversible cleavage of said X group whereby said colored compound is converted to a colorless ring-closed compound;
• (e) forming as a result of said development, an imagewise distribution of diffusible image dye-providing material;
• and
• (f) transferring, by diffusion, at least a portion of said imagewise distribution of diffusible image dye-providing material to said image-receiving layer to provide a transfer image thereto.