Recording composition

A composition for use in a recording material having a visual appearance comprising a substrate and one or more recording layers, wherein said composition is contained in said one or more recording layers, said composition comprising at least two coordination compounds (A) and (B) which react to produce at least one newly produced coordination compound with the occurrence of visual changes in said recording material, which visual changes are utilized for recording, said composition also comprising at least one additional compound, and wherein said coordination compound (A) comprises (1) a fatty acid, an aromatic carboxylic acid, a heterocyclic carboxylic acid, an organic phosphoric acid, or an organic sulfur acid and (2) one metal capable of forming a colored coordination compound with said coordination compound (B), alone or with an additional metal, and wherein said coordination compound (B) has a (1) center metal and (2) a ligand selected from the group consisting of nitrogen ligands, oxygen ligands, oxygen-nitrogen ligands and sulfur ligands, and wherein said at least one additional compound is selected from the group consisting of (a) a sulfonic acid ester with a thermal decomposition temperature of 60.degree. C. or more, (b) a water-releasing material which is a compound of the formula (I) or (II):

• M.sup.1 M.sup.3 (SO.sub.4).sub.2.12H.sub.2 O (I)
• M.sup.1.sub.2 SO.sub.4.M.sup.3.sub.2 (SO.sub.4).sub.3.24H.sub.2 O(II)
• wherein M.sup.1 is a monovalent metal, ammonium, or alkyl ammonium, and M.sup.1 is a trivalent metal, and (c) a compound comprising a metal which is capable of forming a coordination compound having a stability Kr which satisfies formula (III) when said at least two coordination compounds have stabilities K.sub.1 to K.sub.n, and said at least one newly produced coordination compound has a stability Kz when said newly produced coordination compound is produced by complex formation:
• K.sub.1 to K.sub.n .ltoreq.Kr<Kz (III).