Non-rehalogenating bleaching composition and its use to process silver halide photographic elements

摘要

A non-rehalogenating bleaching composition for processing imagewise exposed and developed silver halide photographic elements comprising hydrogen peroxide, or a compound which releases hydrogen peroxide, and at least one compound of Formula IPP[MO.sub. 2 C--(L.sup.1). sub.p ].sub.q --R--[(L.sup.2).sub.n --CO.sub.2 M].sub.m (I)P Pwherein R is a substituted or unsubstituted aromatic hydrocarbon group, or a substituted or unsubstituted aromatic heterocyclic group containing at least one oxygen, nitrogen or sulfur atom;PP L.sup.1 and L.sup.2 are each independently a substituted or unsubstituted linking group wherein the linking group is attached to the carboxyl group by a carbon;PPn and p are independently 1 or 0;P Pm and q are independently 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 and the sum of m+q is at least 1; andPPM is a hydrogen atom, an alkali metal, an alkalinePPearth metal or an ammonium ion. The composition has a pH of from about 2 to about 6 and is substantially free of rehalogenating agents and high valent metal ion complexes with any of polycarboxylic acids, aminocarboxylic acids and phosphonic acids.