Method for processing a silver halide photographic material

Abstract

A novel method for processing a silver halide color photographic material. The process comprises imagewise exposing a silver halide color photographic light-sensitive material to light, color-developing the light-sensitive material, and then desilvering the light-sensitive material, wherein: (a) said silver halide color photographic light-sensitive material contains a compound which reacts with an oxidation product of anaromatic primary amine color developing agent to form a bleaching accelerator, (b) the desilvering step is conducted with a processing solution containing a ferric complex salt of an organic acid, and (c) the total amount of replenisher of the processing solution to be used in the desilvering step satisfies either the following conditions (i) or (ii): (i) the total amount of replenisher is 1,000 ml or less per m 2 of the light-sensitive material if the coated amount of silver per m 2 of the light-sensitive material is 2.0 g or more; (ii) the total amount of replenisher is 400 ml or less per m 2 of the light-sensitive material if the coated amount of silver per m 2 of the light-sensitive material is less than 2.0 g.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for processing a silver halide color photographic material comprising a silver bromoiodide emulsion layer having a silver iodide content of 40 mol % or less, which method comprises imagewise exposing a silver halide color-photographic light-sensitive material to light, color developing the light-sensitive material, and then desilvering the light-sensitive material, wherein: (a) said silver halide color photographic light-sensitive material contains a compound which reacts with an oxidation product of an aromatic primary amine color developing agent to form a bleaching accelerator,   (b) said desilvering step is conducted with a processing solution containing a ferric complex salt of an organic acid, and   (c) the total amount of replenisher of the processing solution to be used in said desilvering step satisfies either the following conditions (i) or (ii); (i) the total amount of replenisher if from 100 to 1,000 ml per m 2  of said light-sensitive material if the coated amount of silver per m 2  of said light-sensitive material is from 2.0 g to 20 g;   (ii) the total amount of replenisher is from 50 to 300 ml per m 2  of said light-sensitive material if the coated amount of silver per m 2  of said light-sensitive material is from 0.3 to less then 2.0 g.     
     
     
       2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the total amount of replenisher of the processing solution to be used in said desilvering step satisfies either the following conditions (i) or (ii): (i) the total amount of replenisher is 100 to 700 ml per m 2  of said light-sensitive material if the coated amount of silver per m 2  of said light-sensitive material is 2.0 g or more;   (ii) the total amount of replenisher is from 50 to 300 ml per m 2  of said light-sensitive material if the coated amount of silver per m 2  of said light-sensitive material is less than 2.0 g. l   
     
     
       3. A method as claim in claim 1, wherein said desilvering step is conducted with a processing solution having a bleaching capability or a subsequent processing solution having a blixing capability. 
     
     
       4. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said desilvering step is conducted with a processing solution having a blixing capability. 
     
     
       5. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the processing solution having a blixing capability contains a ferric aminopolycarboxylate complex salt having a molecular weight of 300 or more in the form of a free acid. 
     
     
       6. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said silver halide color photographic material contains at least one cyan dye-forming coupler selected from the group consisting of compounds represented by formulae (I-I) and (L-II): ##STR79## wherein R 101  and R 102  each independently represents an aliphatic group, an aryl group or a heterocyclic group; R 3  represents a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, an aliphatic group, an aryl group, an acylamino group, or nonmatallic atomic groups which form a 5- or 6-membered nitrogen-containing ring together with R 102  ; Z 10  represents a hydrogen atom or a coupling-releasable group; and N 1  represents an integer of 0 or 1; ##STR80## wherein R 111  represents --CONR 115  R 116 , --NHCOR 115 , --NHCOOR 117 , --NHSO 2  R 117 , --NHCONR 115  R 116  or --NHSO 2  NR 115  R 116  : R 112  represents a group which can be substituted by a naphthol ring; m 1  represents an integer of 0 to 3; R 113  represents a monovalent organic group; and X 10  represents a hydrogen atom or a group which can be released by coupling reaction with an oxidation product of an aromatic primary amine developing agent, with the provisos that: (a) R 113  and R 116  may be the same or different and each independently represents a hydrogen atom, an aliphatic group, an aromatic group or a heterocyclic group, (b) R 117  represents an aliphatic group, an aromatic group or a heterocyclic group, (c) when m 1  is a plural number, the plurality of R 112  may be the same or different or may be connected to each other to form a ring, and (d) R 112  and R 113  or R 113  and X 10  may be connected to each other to form a ring. 
     
     
       7. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the ferric complex salt is a ferric diethylenetriaminepentaacetate complex salt. 
     
     
       8. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the compound for releasing the bleaching accelerator is a compound represented by the formula (I):   A.sub.0 --(L.sub.0).sub.p --Z.sub.0                        (I)     wherein A 0  represents a group which undergoes a reaction with an oxidation product of a developing agent to cause cleavage of the (L 0 )  p  --Z 0  bond; L 0  represents a group which undergoes a reaction with a timing group or an oxidation product of a developing agent to cause cleavage of the connection with Z 0  ; Z 0  represents a group which exhibits the effect of accelerating bleaching upon cleavage of its connection with A 0  --(L 0 ); and p represents an integer of 0 to 3, with the priviso that when p is a plural number, the plurality of L 0  may be the same or different.   
     
     
       9. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the compound for releasing the bleaching accfelerator is a compound represented by the formult (I'):   A.sub.1 --(L.sub.1).sub.a --(L.sub.2).sub.b --Z.sub.1      (I')     wherein A 1  represents a group which undergoes a reaction with an oxidation product of a developing agent to cause cleavage of the (L 1 ) a  --(L 2 ) b  --Z 1  bond; L 1  represents a group which undergoes a reaction with a timing group or an oxidation product of a developing agent to cause cleavage of the (L 2 ) b  --Z 1  bond; L 2  represents a group which undergoes a reaction with a timing group or an oxidation product of a developing agent to cause cleavage of the connection with Z 1  ; Z 1  represents a group which exhibits the effect of accelerating bleaching upon cleavage of its connection with A 1  --(L 1 ) a  --(L 2 ) b  ; and a and b each represents an integer of 0 to 1.   
     
     
       10. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the silver iodide content of said silver halide emulsion layer is 20 mol % or less. 
     
     
       11. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the silver iodide content of said silver halide emulsion layer is 10 mol % or less.