Fine polymer particles having heterogeneous phase structure, silver halide photographic light-sensitive material containing the fine polymer particles and image-forming method

Abstract

Latex polymer of fine particles having a heterogeneous phase structure which comprises a core of a polymer having repeating units derived from a conjugated diene monomer and a shell of a polymer having repeating units derived from at least one ethylenically unsaturated monomer carrying an active methylene group; a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material comprises a core/shell latex polymer whose shell consists of a polymer having repeating units of an ethylenically unsaturated monomer represented by the formula: CH.sub.2 .dbd.C(R.sup.1)--L--X (wherein R.sup.1 represents H, alkyl or halogen, L represents a single bond or a bivalent coupling group, X represents an active methylene group, provided that L is bonded to X in the form of alkylene; and a method for forming images on a silver halide light-sensitive material which comprises exposing the material which comprises at least one light-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer and at least one hydrophilic colloidal layer either of which comprises a latex polymer having active methylene groups and developing the exposed material with a developer which comprises a dihydroxybenzene developing agent and an auxiliary developing agent showing superadditivity, the pH increase observed when adding 0.1 mole/l developer of NaOH to the developer .ltoreq.0.25; 9.5.ltoreq. initial pH of the developer .ltoreq.11.0; the amount of the developer supplemented .ltoreq.225 ml/m.sup.2.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.