INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC

SCHOOL

CHEMISTRY PROJECT
2018-19

SUBMITTED TO:-

SUBMITTED BY:-
 CHEMISTRY
IN BLACK
AND WHITE
PHOTOGRAPHY
 Purpose: This experiment is designed to
illustrate the purpose of the different
components of a photographic developer. It will
also illustrate the chemistry of the toning
process. Specifically, you will determine the
role of one component in the developer and
identify the importance of reaction duration as
a variable in the toning of black and white
prints. For the first part, be specific. Indicate
which component you are omitting. Discuss
the role of that component in your conclusion
section.
Procedure: NOTE: Weigh out all of the
materials needed for Section 2 before
doing Section 1.
In the first section of this experiment you
will determine a set of optimum
conditions for developing a contact print
using a light bulb for exposure and a
standard, already-prepared developer.
Two factors are important in
determining the optimum conditions.
The first is the amount of light hitting
the photographic paper. This depends on
the intensity of the light, the length of
the exposure and the distance of the light
from the paper. The greater the amount of
light hitting the paper, the darker the
print since more silver halide grains are
exposed. This assumes all other
conditions are held constant. The
directions for the first part are listed in
Section 1.
In the second section of the experiment
you will prepare a developer by weighing
out and mixing the necessary chemicals.
You will then use the conditions
determined in the first part to prepare a
contact print with your own developer.
Most photographic developers have several
components in common. These are:
1. a reducing agent--to reduce the
exposed silver halide grains to
metallic silver,
2. a preservative--to prevent reaction
of the reducing agent with oxygen
from the air,
3. an activator--to activate the
reducing agent,
 4. a restrainer--to increase the
contrast between light and dark areas
in the print.
In your developer the chemicals will be:
1. metol, the reducing agent.
2. sodium sulfite (Na2SO3), the
preservative.
3. sodium carbonate (Na2CO3·H2O),
the activator.
4. sodium bromide (NaBr), the
restrainer.
Wastes: The developer and the stop bath
can be put down the drain with the water
running. Used fixer has silver in it and
must be put in the aqueous waste
container.
Section 1: Determining the Optimum
Conditions
Steps:
1. Obtain several sheets of
photographic paper. Caution: this
paper is, of course, very sensitive to
light.
2. Place approximately 100 ml each
of developer, stop bath, fixer, and
distilled water into 400 ml beakers;
label each beaker.
3. Set up the exposing light as shown
in the Figure below.
1.Using only safety lights, remove a piece
of photographic paper from its storage
space and place it directly under the light
with the emulsion side up. Place the
negative on top of the paper and put a
glass slide on top of the negative.
2. Turn on the light for 30 seconds to
expose the paper. Using only the safety
light, observe the paper. Does it appear to
have changed?
3. Develop the print (still under safety
light) by placing it in the beaker
containing the developer for 60 seconds
(caution: use tongs), then the stop bath
for 60 seconds, the fixer for 5 minutes
and the distilled water for 5 minutes.
While the paper is in the developer and
stop bath, be certain that you agitate it.
Place the print on a paper towel to dry.
Record the temperature of the developer.
 4. Try to improve the print. If it is too
dark, reduce the exposure or the
developing time. The exposure can be
reduced by reducing the exposure time,
raising the bulb, or reducing the setting
on the VariaC. If the print is too light, the
opposite remedies should be applied. Be
certain to keep an accurate record of your
conditions for each experiment. A Table
such as shown below works well. Your
goal here is to find the conditions for the
best print possible. You will use these
conditions in the subsequent section for
your developer.
Section 2: Preparing your own developer
Steps:
1.Prepare your own developer by dissolving
2.0 g Na2SO3, 0.25 g sodium bromide,
NaBr, 0.6 g metol, and 2.0 g of sodium
carbonate (Na2CO3·H2O) in distilled
 water and dilute to 100 ml. Be sure to
dissolve these chemicals in the order listed.
2. Expose and develop a contact print
again according to your optimum
conditions of Section 1. Record your
results. Try to improve the print.
3. How does this print compare with that
of Section 1?
4. Prepare 8 extra prints for the toning
experiments. Make these prints as soon as
possible after your determination of
 optimal conditions

Section 3: Toning [Note: these experiments

can be performed in regular light].
Iron Toning: Prepare an iron toning bath by
mixing 10.0 ml of ferric ammonium citrate
(10% solution), 10.0 ml of K3Fe(CN)6 (10%
solution) and 100 ml of a 10% solution of
acetic acid in a 400-ml beaker. This solution
can be safely disposed of in the sink.
Place a print in the iron toning solution for
5 minutes. What happens? How does the
length of time in the toning solution affect
the print? Test this by placing a print in the
toning bath for only 2 minutes. Try another
time for the toning bath. Rinse the print in
deionized water briefly, and record your
results.
Copper Toning: Prepare a copper toning bath
as follows. Dissolve 0.54 g of K3Fe(CN)6 and
2.65 g of potassium citrate in 100 ml of
H2O. In a separate beaker, dissolve 0.66 g of
copper sulfate and 2.65 g of potassium
citrate in 100 ml of water. Mix equal
volumes of the two solutions just prior to use.
(Copper is a heavy metal. Dispose of this
solution in the aqueous waste container).
Place a print in your bath for 5 minutes and
rinse What do you see? How does the length
of time in the bath affect the result?
Sepia Toning: Place a print in a 400 ml
beaker containing about 100 ml of 20%
sodium thiosulfate solution for 5 minutes.
Without rinsing, immerse the print in a
beaker containing the prepared hydrochloric
acid for 30 minutes then rinse in distilled
water. (Both of these solutions can be put
down the drain with the water running).

Conclusion:-
Exposing
The light-sensitive film (or paper)
contains crystals of silver halide, which
is light sensitive. At this point, the film
is opaque grey. When light hits the film,
the silver halide crystal splits into a
silver ion and a bromine atom.
Ag+Br– (crystal) + hν (radiation) →
Ag+ + Br + e–
Then, the silver ion recombines with the
free electron to give an atom of metallic
silver.
Ag+ + e– → Ag0
After exposure, there is an image on the
film made from a tiny quantity of
metallic silver. This is known as
the latent image. It would be invisible to
the eye and the film is still dull and
opaque. For an individual grain of the
silver halide emulsion to count as
“exposed”, at least two photons must have
interacted with it, to form small silver
crystals consisting of two or more silver
atoms.
Toning So far, we have ended up with
either a film or a print which has an
image made from metallic silver. If
there’s one thing we know about silver,
it’s that it tarnishes. Depending on the
storage conditions, silver prints may
degrade with time. Toning the image
serves two purposes: it improves the
longevity of the image, and it can
produce the colourful sepia effects.
Various toners exist, but they all work in
the same way. They react with the silver
to produce silver salts, such as silver
sulphide which is more stable then pure
silver. It is also slightly brown in colour,
hence the sepia tone.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
http://www.cheresources.com/photochem.s
html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photographi
c_developer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photographi
c_print_toning
 BONAFIDE
CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that “ Miss Juhi Vishwakarma” of class

XII Science has successfully completed her project on the
topic “CHEMISTRY IN BLACK AND WHITE
PHOTOGRAPHY”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I wish to express my sincere gratitude and special thanks to my

respected principal
Chemistry teacher
And laboratory assistant
For their timely help and valuable suggestion without which my
demonstration file would not have been a success.

Miss Juhi Vishwakarma

XII
 INDEX

1.Bonafide certificate
2. Acknowledgments
3. Purpose of activity
4. Procedure
5.Conclusion
6. Bibliography