Toners for silver halide diffusion transfer image with sulfo or carboxyl groups

A method of forming a silver salt diffusion transfer image, comprising:

• developing an imagewise exposed photosensitive silver halide emulsion layer with a developing agent and a silver halide solvent in the presence of an alkali to thereby convert at least a portion of unexposed silver halide in said emulsion layer to a diffusible silver complex salt and transferring at least a portion of said silver complex salt into a silver precipitating agent-containing image receiving layer to form an image in said image receiving layer, wherein said image is formed in the presence of a compound selected from the group consisting of compounds of the following general formulae (I), (II) and (III):
• ##STR11## wherein Z.sup.1 is a sulfur atom, an oxygen atom or ##STR12## R.sup.3 is a hydrogen atom, a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group with the proviso that the substituent is not a sulfo or carboxyl group, or a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group with the proviso that the substituent is not a sulfo or carboxyl group;
• R.sup.2 is an organic group containing at least one sulfo or carboxyl group;
• L.sup.1 is --CONR--, --NRCO--, --SO.sub.2 NR--, --NRSO.sub.2 --, --OCO--, --COO--, --S--, --NR--, --CO--, --SO--, --SO.sub.2 --, --OCOO--, --NRCONR.sup.1 --, --NRCOO--, --OCONR--, or --NRSO.sub.2 NR.sup.1 --, wherein R and R.sup.1, which may be the same or different, are selected from a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group or an aryl group;
• n.sup.1 is 0 or 1;
• and
• M is a hydrogen atom, an alkali metal atom, a quaternary ammonium group or a quaternary phosphonium group;
• ##STR13## wherein X is ##STR14## a selenium atom, a sulfur atom or an oxygen atom, wherein R.sup.7 is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group;
• R.sup.4 is a substituent group;
• Z.sup.2 is an atomic group necessary to form a carbocyclic or heterocyclic ring;
• Y.sup.1 is a carboxyl group or a sulfo group;
• M is a hydrogen atom, an alkali metal atom, a quaternary ammonium group or a quaternary phosphonium group;
• m is a whole number of 1 to 3;
• and
• n.sup.2 is a whole number of 0 to 2;
• and ##STR15## wherein Y.sup.2 and Z.sup.3, which may be the same or different, are N or CR.sup.6 wherein R.sup.6 is a hydrogen atom, a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group, or a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group;
• R.sup.5 is an alkyl group substituted by at least one of SO.sub.3 M.sup.1 or COOM.sup.1 group or an aryl group substituted by at least one of SO.sub.3 M.sup.1 or COOM.sup.1 group;
• M and M.sup.1, which may be the same or different, are a hydrogen atom, an alkali metal atom, a quaternary ammonium group or a quaternary phosphonium group.