Carrier for developing electrostatic latent image

A carrier for developing electrostatic latent images comprising;

• carrier core particles composed of a magnetic material;
• and
• a resin-coating layer formed by a production method comprising
• a step of coating the carrier core particles with a solution of thermosetting resin;
• a step of sintering first the coated particles at a temperature between a thermoset-starting temperature and the thermoset-starting temperature plus 30 .degree. C.,;
• and
• a step of sintering second the first sintered particles at a temperature between the first sintering temperature and the first sintering temperature plus 50.degree. C.

A carrier for developing electrostatic latent images composed of carrier core particles and a thermosetting resin-coating layer, wherein the number of adsorbed molecules n (molecules/nm.sup.2) of carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2) per unit area of the carrier expressed by the following formula (I):

• ##EQU5## wherein (CO.sub.2) represents an adsorbed amount of CO.sub.2 in monomolecular layer (ml/g);
• (A) represents 6.times.10.sup.23 (molecules/mol));
• (N.sub.2) represents N.sub.2 specific surface area (cm.sup.2),
• has the relationship represented by the following formula;
• n.sub.2 /n.sub.1 .gtoreq.20
• wherein n.sub.1 is the number before the particles are coated with the resin and n.sub.2 is the value after the particles are coated with the resin.

A carrier for developing electrostatic latent images comprising;

• carrier core particles in which a ratio of small particles of 31 .mu.m or less is 10 volume %, and a mean particle size is 40 to 60 .mu.m and a bulk density is 2.45 to 2.65 g/cm.sup.3, and
• a resin layer coating the surface of the core particles at an amount of 2.7 to 3.5% by weight on the basis of the core particles,
• a ratio of change of large particles having a particle size of 62 .mu.m or more before and after coated with the resin being less than 100% when the ratio is expressed by the following formula (II):
• (B-A)/A (II)
• wherein "A" denotes the ratio (%) of the carrier core particles having a particle size of 62 .mu.m or more, and "B" denotes the ratio (%) of the resin-coated carrier particles having a particle size of 62 .mu.m or more.