Intensification of photographic silver images by physical development and improvement in physical developer solution for use therein

Claim 1

A process for forming a photographic image, which comprises intensifying an unactivated silver image which comprises (a) a latent silver image of silver nuclei formed by light deposition in the exposed areas of a silver halide photographic element, (b) a silver image formed by chemical development in the exposed areas of a silver halide photograhic element, (c) a transferred silver image formed by a diffusion transfer process or (d) a silver image formed in the unexposed areas of a non-silver halide photographic element, said non-silver photographic element comprising a layer of a chalcogen compound and a layer of silver thereon or comprising a layer of a mixture of a chalcogen compound and silver; by applying to said silver image a non-silver physical developer solution containing (1) at least one boron compound selected from the group consisting of amine borane compounds and boronhydride compounds, (2) at least one compound selected from the group consisting of amine compounds, and (3) a compound of a non-silver metal more base than silver; wherein said amine borane compound (1) is represented by the general formula (Ia) ##STR5## wherein R 1 , R 2 and R 3 , which may be the same or different, each represents an alkyl group, an aralkyl group, an aryl group, an amino group or a hydrogen atom, in which said alkyl group, said aralkyl group and said aryl group may be substituted with one or more of a hydroxyl group and an amino group; with the proviso that when one of R 1 , R 2 or R 3 is an amino group, the other two of R 1 , R 2 and R 3 are not amino groups and all of R 1 , R 2 and R 3 are not simultaneously hydrogen atoms; or by the general formula (Ib) ##STR6## wherein R 4 represents an alkyl group, an aralkyl group, an aryl group or a hydrogen atom, and Z represents an atomic grouping necessary to form a saturated or unsaturated aromatic 5- or 6membered N-containing heterocyclic ring, and when there is a double bond to the N atom, R 4 is not present, and wherein R 4 and said atomic grouping formed by Z may be substituted with one or more of a hydroxyl group and an amino group; said borohydride compound (1) is at least one compound selected from the group consisting of compounds of the formula (Ic) MBH.sub.4 (Ic) wherein M is an alkali metal atom; and said amine compound (2) is represented by the general formula (IIa) ##STR7## wherein R 5 , R 6 and R 7 , which may be the same or different, each represents an alkyl group, an aralkyl group, an aryl group, an amino group or a hydrogen atom, in which said alkyl group, said aralkyl group and said aryl group may be substituted with one or more of a hydroxyl group and an amino group; with the proviso that when one of R 5 , R 6 or R 7 is an amino group, the other two of R 5 , R 6 and R 7 are not amino groups and all of R 5 , R 6 and R 7 are not simultaneously hydrogen atoms; or by the general formula (IIb) ##STR8## wherein W represents an atomic grouping necessary to form a saturated or unsaturated aromatic 5-, 6- or 7-membered heterocyclic ring; R 8 has the same meaning an R 5 , and R 9 has the same meaning as R 5 or additionally represents a hydroxyl group, an amino group, a mono- or di-alkylamino group, an oxo group, an alkoxycarbonyl group, an amido group, an acyloxy group, an alkoxy group, an aryloxy group, a cyano group or a halogen atom, or a salt of a compound of formula (IIa) or (IIb) with acetic acid, propionic acid, oxalic acid, citric acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, phosphoric acid, carbonic acid, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen bromide or hydrogen iodide, with the proviso that when there is a double bond to the N atom, R 8 is not present; wherein, when present in said physical developer solution, said amine borane compound is present in an amount of about 0.1 grams per liter to a saturated amount; when present in said physical developer solution, said borohydride compound is present in an amount of about 0.01 grams per liter to a saturated amount; said amine compound is present in an amount of about 0.1 grams per liter to a saturated amount; and said non-silver metal compound is present in an amount of about 0.01 to about 1 mole per liter; and with the proviso that (i) where said boron compound (1) is a borohydride compound of the formula (Ic), said process is conducted at a temperature of about 15° C. to about 70° C.; (ii) where said boron compound (1) is an amine borane compound of the formula (Ia) or (Ib) and is present in said physical developer solution in an amount of at least about 100 grams per liter of said physical developer solution, said process is conducted at a temperature of about 18° C. to about 95° C; (iii) where said boron compound (1) is an amine borane compound of the formula (Ia) or (Ib) and is present in said physical developer solution in an amount of about 40 grams or less per liter of said physical developer solution, said process is conducted at a temperature of about 30° C. to about 95° C.; (iv) where said boron compound (1) is an amine borane compound of the formula (Ia) or (Ib) and is present in said physical developer solution in an amount of about 40 grams to about 100 grams per liter of said physical developer solution, said process is conducted at a temperature within the range specified by a lower limit T where T=0.2M+38 wherein T is the temperature in ° C. and N is the amount of said amine borane compound in grams per liter of said physical developer solution and an upper limit of 95° C.; and (v) where said physical developer solution contains (1) an amine borane compound and a borohydride compound, said amine borane compound being present in an amount of about 40 grams or less per liter of the physical developer solution and the ratio of said borohydride compound to said amine borane compound is about 3:1 or less, said process is conducted at a temperature of about 30° C. to about 95° C.