Process for treating light-sensitive silver halide color photographic materials

Claim 1

A method for processing a light-sensitive silver halide color photographic material which has been exposed to an image which comprises removing, after color development of said exposed light-sensitive silver halide color photographic material, the image silver with a bleach-fixing bath having a pH of between 2.0 and 5.5 and containing (i) hydrogen peroxide or sodium perborate in an amount of 0.05 mole to 3.0 moles/l and (ii) at least one organic acid or salt thereof selected from the group consisting of lower aliphatic carboxylic acids having the general formula I or II and alkali metal salts, other than metal complex salts, of said carboxylic acids. formula I R.sub.1 --COOH wherein R 1 is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms which may may be substituted with one or more of hydroxyl, alkyl having 1 to 3 carbon atoms and amino radicals; formula II HOOC--(R.sub.2).sub.n.sbsb.1 --COOH wherein R 2 is an alkylene or alkenylene group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, each of which may be substituted with one or more of hydroxyl, alkyl having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, carboxyl and amino radicals, and n 1 is zero or 1; and alkylidene diphosphonic acids having the general formula III and alkali metal salts thereof ##STR6## wherein X is a hydrogen atom or hydroxyl, and n 2 is zero or an integer from 1 to 5. the amounts of said aliphatic carboxylic acids of the formula I or II and said alkylidene diphosphonic acids of the formula III being 0.05 mole to 3.0 moles/l and 0.01 to 1.0 mole/l, respectively.

Claim 2

A method for processing a light-sensitive silver halide color photographic material which has been exposed to an image which comprises removing, after color development of said exposed light-sensitive silver halide color photographic material, the image silver with a bleach-fixing bath having a pH of between 2.0 and 5.5 and containing (i) hydrogen peroxide or sodium perborate in an amount of 0.05 mole to 3.0 moles/l and (ii) at least one organic acid or salt thereof selected from the group consisting of lower aliphatic carboxylic acids having the general formula I or II and alkali metal salts, other than metal complex salts, of said carboxylic acids. formula I R.sub.1 --COOH wherein R 1 is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms which may may be substituted with one or more of hydroxyl, alkyl having 1 to 3 carbon atoms and amino radicals; formula II HOOC--(R.sub.2).sub.n.sbsb.1 --COOH wherein R 2 is an alkylene or alkenylene group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, each of which may be substituted with one or more of hydroxyl, alkyl having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, carboxyl and amino radicals, and n 1 is zero or 1; and alkylidene diphosphonic acids having the general formula III and alkali metal salts thereof ##STR6## wherein X is a hydrogen atom or hydroxyl, and n 2 is zero or an integer from 1 to 5. the amounts of said aliphatic carboxylic acids of the formula I or II and said alkylidene diphosphonic acids of the formula III being 0.05 mole to 3.0 moles/l and 0.01 to 1.0 mole/l, respectively.