Material comprising a novel bleach accelerator-releasing coupler

Abstract

A silver halide photographic material is described, comprising a support having provided thereon at least one silver halide photographic emulsion layer and comprising a bleach accelerator-releasing coupler, wherein said bleach accelerator-releasing coupler is represented by formula (I) A--(TIME).sub.n --S--X--(Y).sub.m --(Z)l]a (I) wherein A represents a coupler residual group; TIME represents a timing group; n represents 0 or 1; X represents a cyclic aliphatic group or a saturated heterocyclic group; Y represents an aliphatic group having from 1 to 8 carbon atoms which may contain a group of --O--, a group of --S--, a group of --COO--, a group of --CO--, a group of ##STR1## a group of ##STR2## a group of --SO.sub.2 --or a group of ##STR3## in its chain; m represents an integer of from 0 to 3, and when m represents 2 or more, the two or more Y groups may be the same or different; Z represents a group of --OH, a group of --COOM, a group of --SO.sub.3 M or a group of ##STR4## l represents an integer of from 1 to 3, and when l represents 2 or more, the two or more Z groups may be the same or different; a represents 1 or 2, and when a represents 2, the two (Y)m--(Z)l groups may be the same or different; R.sub.1, R.sub.2, and R.sub.3 each represents a hydrogen atom, or an aliphatic group having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms; and M represents an alkali metal ion, an ammonium ion, or a hydrogen atom. The bleach accelerator-releasing coupler used in the present invention maintains its good bleach accelerating effect under running conditions. The silver halide photographic material enables rapid processing because of its high silver bleaching speed. A method for processing the silver halide photographic material is also described, wherein the photographic material is not subjected to, between the color developing step and the bleach-fixing step, to a water washing step.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.