An antistain agent for color photography, 2, 5-di-t-octylhydroquinone (DOHQ), bas been known to cause light fading of the cyan dye image when incorporated in color film. This light fading mechanism was investigated.
A part of DOHQ in color film is oxidized to 2, 5-di-t-octyl-p-benzoquinone (DOQ) on the bleaching process during color processing, so that DOHQ and DOQ are coexistent in the dye image.
DOHQ reduces cyan dye to leuco form even in the dark. This reduction is restrained in the presence of DOQ, probably because the redox potential becomes more positive.
On the other hand, DOQ does not react with cyan dye in the dark. By the irradiation of light, however, it reduces cyan dye to leuco form though it is regarded as an oxidizing agent.
Then, a photochemical reaction of DOQ itself was studied in ethyl acetate solution. DOQ is unstable against light. By thin layer chromatographic experiment, at least four products were detected in the irradiated solution. One of them acts as a reducing agent and reduces cyan dye to leuce form.
From these results it is concluded that the cyan dye image containing DOHQ and DOQ is faded by two mechanisms that, by the irradiation of light, DOQ in the image is changed into a reducing agent, which in turn reduces cyan dye to leuce form, and that DOHQ can also reduces cyan dye to leuco form, as DOQ is removed by the irradiation of light.
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