Photographic color developers containing odorless antioxidants formed in situ from reaction of hydroxylamine and epoxide and use of same

A method for developing a color photographic element comprising:

• treating an imagewise exposed and undeveloped color photographic element with a color developer composition comprising:
• a) a photographic color developer, and
• b) a substituted hydroxylamine antioxidant which has the structure (I):
• ##STR17## wherein R' is an alkyl group of 1 to 10 carbon atoms, a hydroxyalkyl group of 1 to 10 carbon atoms, a cycloalkyl group of 5 to 10 carbon atoms, or an aryl group having 6 to 10 carbon atoms in the aromatic nucleus,
• X.sub.1 has the structure (II):
• ##STR18## and X.sub.2 has the structure (III):
• ##STR19## wherein R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are independently hydrogen, an alkyl group of 1 to 2 carbon atoms, or a hydroxyalkyl group of 1 to 2 carbon atoms, or R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 together represent the carbon atoms necessary to complete a 5- to 8-membered saturated or partially saturated carbocyclic ring structure,
• Y is an alkylene group of at least 4 carbon atoms and has an even number of carbon atoms, or Y is a divalent aliphatic group having an even total number of carbon and oxygen atoms in the chain, provided that said divalent aliphatic group has at least 4 atoms in the chain,
• m and n are 1 and p is 0 or 1,
• the antioxidant being a reaction product formed in a reaction mixture from the reaction of:
• 1) hydroxylamine or a mono-substituted hydroxylamine, and
• 2) an epoxide having either the structure (IV):
• ##STR20## or (V):
• ##STR21## wherein R', R.sup.1, R.sup.2 and Y are defined above, said reaction product remaining in said reaction mixture for use as an antioxidant when mixed with said photographic color developer.