Tone control of photographic silver images

A silver image forming photographic element comprised of

• a support and coated thereon
• at least one hydrophilic colloid layer including an emulsion layer containing radiation sensitive silver chlorobromide fine grains containing up to 70 mole percent chloride and having a mean equivalent circular diameter of less than 0.3 .mu.m,
• said element including in said emulsion layer or a hydrophilic colloid layer contiguous to said emulsion layer an azole in a concentration effective to modify the tone of a developed silver image in the emulsion layer, said azole having the formula:
• ##STR33## wherein Z is --N.dbd. or --C(R.sup.5).dbd.;
• R.sup.5 is hydrogen, --NH.sub.2, an aliphatic group of 1 to 8 carbon atoms or an aromatic group of 1 to 8 carbon atoms;
• R.sup.4 is hydrogen, an aliphatic group of 1 to 8 carbon atoms or an aromatic group of 1 to 8 carbon atoms;
• L is a divalent aliphatic linking group containing 1 to 8 carbon atoms;
• T is an aliphatic terminal group containing 1 to 8 carbon atoms;
• m is 0 or 1;
• n is an integer of 1 to 4;
• and
• p is an integer of 2 to 4.

A process comprised of developing a photographic element comprised of an emulsion layer containing radiation sensitive silver chlorobromide fine grains containing less than 70 mole percent chloride and having a mean equivalent circular diameter of less than 0.3 .mu.m to produce a silver image of modified tone in the presence of an azole in a concentration effective to modify the tone of the developed silver image, the azole having the formula:

• ##STR34## wherein Z is --N.dbd. or --C(R.sup.5).dbd.;
• L is a divalent aliphatic linking group containing 1 to 8 carbon atoms;
• T is an aliphatic terminal group containing 1 to 8 carbon atoms;
• m is 0 or 1;
• n is an integer of 2 to 4;
• p is an integer of 2 to 4;
• and
• R.sup.4 and R.sup.5 together complete a 5 or 6 member heterocyclic nucleus containing 1 to 3 ring nitrogen atoms or
• R.sup.4 is hydrogen, an aliphatic group of 1 to 8 carbon atoms or an aromatic group of 1 to 8 carbon atoms and
• R.sup.5 is hydrogen, --NH.sub.2, an aliphatic group of 1 to 8 carbon atoms or an aromatic group of 1 to 8 carbon atoms.

A process comprised of developing a photographic element comprised of an emulsion layer containing radiation sensitive silver chlorobromide fine grains containing up to 70 mole percent chloride and having a mean equivalent circular diameter of less than 0.3 .mu.m to produce a silver image of modified tone in the presence of an azole in a concentration effective to modify the tone of the developed silver image, the azole having the formula:

• ##STR35## wherein Z is --N.dbd. or --C(R.sup.5).dbd.;
• R.sup.5 is hydrogen, NH.sub.2, an aliphatic group of 1 to 8 carbon atoms or an aromatic of 1 to 8 carbon atoms;
• R.sup.4 is hydrogen, an aliphatic group of 1 to 8 carbon atoms or an aromatic group of 1 to 8 carbon atoms;
• L is a divalent aliphatic linking group containing 1 to 8 carbon atoms;
• T is an aliphatic terminal group containing 1 to 8 carbon atoms;
• m is 0 or 1;
• n is an integer of 1 to 4;
• and
• p is an integer of 2 to 4.