(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for processing a silver halide color photographic material and a color photographic developing composition used in the method, and more particularly to a method for processing a silver halide color photographic material in which the stability and the color-forming property of a color photographic developing solution are improved, and the increased fogging problem in continuous processing is lessened; and a color developing composition which can afford the color developing solution.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Color developing solutions containing an aromatic primary amine color developing agent have long been used for forming color images, and they now play a main role in methods of forming color photographic images. However, it is well known that these color developing solutions have the disadvantage of oxidizing easily with air or metals, and if color images are formed using oxidized color developing solution there is increased fogging or the sensitivity or gradation changes, thus interfering with the desired photographic properties.
Accordingly, hitherto various means of improving the preservative property of color developing solutions were studied, and, in particular, means using both hydroxyl amine and sulfite ions are most generally practiced. However, since hydroxyl amine when decomposed releases ammonia, which causes fogging, and since sulfite ions disadvantageously hamper, for example, the color-forming property when used as a competing compound in a developing agent, it is difficult to consider them preferable compounds (preservatives) to improve the preservative property of color developing solutions.
Although sulfite ions, in particular, have long been used to improve the preservative property of various developing agents or to prevent hydroxyl amines from decomposing, they greatly hamper the color-forming property and markedly lower the color density. Especially when the sulfite ion is used in a system free of benzyl alcohol which is desirable to avoid the solution-preparation and environmental pollution problems involved with benzyl alcohol.
As compounds that can substitute for sulfites were suggested alkanolamines, described in Japanese Patent Application (OPI) No. 3532/1979, and polyethyleneimines, described in Japanese Patent Application (OPI) 94349/1981. Even if these compounds are used, however, they do not achieve enough desirable effects.
To improve the stability of color developing solutions, various preservatives and chelating agents have hitherto been studied. For example, as preservatives can be mentioned aromatic polyhydroxy compounds described, for example, in Japanese Patent Application (OPI) Nos. 49828/1977, 160142/1984, and 47038/1981 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,746,544, hydroxycarbonyl compounds described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,615,503 and British Patent No. 1,306,176, .alpha.-aminocarbonyl compounds described in Japanese Patent Application (OPI) Nos. 143020/1977 and 89425/1978, metal salts described in Japanese Patent Application (OPI) Nos. 44148/ 1982 and 53749/1982, and hydroxamic acids described in Japanese Patent Application (OPI) No. 27638/1977. As chelating agents can be mentioned amino polycarboxylic acids described in Japanese Patent Publication Nos. 30496/1973 and 30232/1969; organic phosphonic acids described in Japanese Patent Application (OPI) No. 97347/1981, Japanese Patent Publication No. 39359/1981, and West German Patent No. 2,227,639; phosphonocarboxylic acids described, for example, in Japanese Patent Application (OPI) Nos. 102726/1977, 42730/1978, 121127/1979, 126241/1980, and 65956/1980; compounds described, for example, in Japanese Patent Application (OPI) Nos. 195845/1983 and 203440/1983 and Japanese Patent Publcation No. 40900/1978; and organic phosphonic acid type chelating agents described in Research Disclosure Nos. 18837 and 17048.
Satisfactory results, however, have not yet been obtained, because if organic phosphonic acid type chelating agents of the present invention and the above technique are used, the preservative property is not enough and the photographic characteristics are adversely affected.
Further, it is described in Japanese Patent Application (OPI) Nos. 95345/1973 and 232342/1984 that color photographic materials containing a silver chlorobromide emulsion with a high chlorine content are liable to cause fogging when the materials are color-developed. If such an emulsion is used it is essential to use a preservative that dissolved less in the emulsion and has better preservative performance, and in this sense satisfactory preservatives have not yet been found.