PROCESSES AND COMPOSITIONS FOR CONVERTING ZERO VALENT METALS PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGES TO FORMAZAN DYE IMAGES

摘要

A zero valent metal image in which the metal has a standard oxidation potential more positive than -0.98 volt is advantageously replaced by a formazan dye by the single process step of contacting the metal image with a solution of a ligand in the presence of a tetrazolium salt when the combination of tetrazolium salt and ligand with water and zero valent metal produces a solution reaction potential E greater than +0.01 volt, the process forming a good dye image when the formazan dye is nondiffusible and the process blixing the metal image when the formazan dye is diffusible and the metal-ligand complex is diffusible. Compositions of tetrazolium salt and ligand are advantageously used in this single step process for dye image formation or for blixing a metal image.