Processing compositions for color transfer processes comprising alkali metal fluorides

Abstract

Improvements in the physical characteristics of a photographic assemblage, especially an integral transfer element, are obtained by employing an alkali metal salt in the alkaline processing composition used to process the assemblage. The anion of the salt has a solubility in relation to that of sulfate such that after processing in the presence of calcium and sulfate ions, calcium will combine with said anion in preference to sulfate at any given pH. Especially preferred salts are alkali metal fluorides or oxalates.

I claim: 
     
       1. In a photographic assemblage comprising: a. a support having thereon at least one photosensitive silver halide emulsion layer having associated therewith a dye image-providing material;   b. a dye image-receiving layer; and   c. an alkaline processing composition having a pH of at least about 11 and means for discharging same within said assemblage; said assemblage containing a silver halide developing agent; the improvement wherein said alkaline composition contains a salt which is an alkali metal fluoride . .or an alkali metal oxalate.!..     
     
     
       2. The assemblage of claim 1 wherein: a. said dye image-receiving layer is located between said support and said silver halide emulsion layer; and   b. said assemblage also includes a transparent cover sheet over the layer outermost from said support.   
     
     
       3. The assemblage of claim 2 wherein said cover sheet is coated with, in sequence, a neutralizing layer and a timing layer. 
     
     
       4. The assemblage of claim 3 wherein said discharging means is a rupturable container containing said alkaline processing composition and an opacifying agent, said container being so positioned during processing of said assemblage that a compressive force applied to said container will effect a discharge of the container's contents between said transparent sheet and the layer outermost from said support. 
     
     
       5. The assemblage of claim 1 wherein said salt is present in said processing composition at a concentration of from about 0.01 N to about 0.5 N. 
     
     
       6. The assemblage of claim 1 wherein said salt is potassium floride.  . .7. 
     
     
        The assemblage of claim 1 wherein said salt is potassium oxalate..!. 8. an integral photographic assemblage comprising: a. a photosensitive element comprising a transparent support having thereon the following layers in sequence; a dye image-receiving layer, an alkaline solution-permeable, light-reflective layer, an alkaline solution-permeable, opaque layer, a red-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer having a ballasted cyan dye releaser associated therewith, a green-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer having a ballasted magenta dye releaser associated therewith, and a blue-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer having a ballasted yellow dye releaser associated therewith;   b. a transparent sheet superposed over said blue-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer and comprising a transparent support coated with, in sequence, a neutralizing layer and a timing layer; and   c. a rupturable container containing an alkaline processing composition, an opacifying agent, and a salt which is an alkali metal fluoride . .or an alkali metal oxalate.!., said composition having a pH of at least about 11, said container being so positioned during processing of said assemblage that a compressive force applied to said container will effect a discharge of the container's contents between said transparent sheet and said blue-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer;   
     
     
       said assemblage containing a silver halide developing agent. 9. The assemblage of claim 8 wherein each said dye releaser is a ballasted sulfonamido compound which is alkali-cleavable upon oxidation to release a diffusible color-providing moiety from the benzene nucleus, said compound having the formula: ##STR5## wherein: a. Col is a dye or dye precursor moiety; b. Ballast is an organic ballasting radical of such molecular size and configuration as to render said compound nondiffusible in said photosensitive element during development in an alkaline processing composition at a pH of at least about 11;   c. G is OR or NHR 1  wherein R is hydrogen or a hydrolyzable moiety and R 1  is hydrogen or an alkyl group of 1 to 22 carbon atoms;   d. Y represents the atoms necessary to complete a benzene nucleus, a naphthalene nucleus, or a 5-7 membered heterocyclic ring; and   e. n is a positive integer of 1 to 2 and is 2 when G is OR or when R 1     
     
     
        is hydrogen or an alkyl group of less than 8 carbon atoms. 10. The assemblage of claim 9 wherein each said silver halide emulsion is an 
     
     
        internal-image silver halide emulsion. 11. The assemblage of claim 1 wherein said support having thereon said photosensitive silver halide emulsion layer is opaque and said dye image-receiving layer is located on a separate transparent support superposed over the layer outermost from 
     
     
        said opaque support. 12. The assemblage of claim 11 wherein said transparent support is coated with, in sequence, a neutralizing layer, a 
     
     
        timing layer, and said dye image-receiving layer. 13. In a process for producing a photographic transfer image in color from an imagewise-exposed photosensitive element comprising a support having thereon at least one photosensitive silver halide emulsion layer having associated therewith a dye image-providing material; said process comprising treating said photosensitive element with an alkaline processing composition in the presence of a silver halide developing agent to effect development of each of said exposed silver halide emulsion layers, said alkaline composition having a pH of at least about 11, whereby an imagewise distribution of dye image-providing material is formed as a function of development and at least a portion of it diffuses to a dye image-receiving layer to provide said transfer image, the improvement comprising including in said alkaline processing composition a salt which is an alkali metal fluoride . .or an 
     
     
        alkali metal oxalate.!..  14. The process of claim 3 wherein said salt is potassium fluoride.  . .15. The process of claim 13 wherein said salt is 
     
     
        potassium oxalate.!.  16. The process of claim 13 wherein said salt is present in said processing composition at a concentration of from about 0.01 N to about 0.5 N.