Sodium Erythorbate in two-bath developer?

jumbo2006tw

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Has anyone use Sodium Erythorbate in two-bath developer?
I just used formula below:

A: Sodium Erythorbate 6g
Sodium sulfite 33g
water 300ml

B: Borax 6g
water 300ml

But, after fixing, there is no image on the film and film exposured to light directly!
Isn't Sodium Erythorbate a developing agent?
 

pdeeh

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Is that a formula that has been proven to work in the past, or is it something you "cooked up" yourself?

I guess you're using erythorbate as a substitute for Ascorbic acid or Sodium ascorbate.

It'll be for the chemists and those with greater experience than I to say for sure, but I haven't seen a developer formula using only Ascorbic acid, as I think it's usually paired with another developing agent (such as Metol).

Lets hope Gerald Koch or Ian Grant or PE or similar sees your post and provides a more definitive answer
 

Alan Johnson

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Sodium Erythorbate is just another name for sodium isoascorbate which is the developing agent in Xtol.
It seems likely the reason why your developer did not work is that ascorbate alone is not activated till higher pH.
Add some metol or phenidone to get development at the pH of your solution , around 9.2.
Here is a 2-bath ascorbate formula, results may be a bit thin:
(there was a url link here which no longer exists)
 

Gerald C Koch

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Yes sodium erythorbate is a developing agent. But like hydroquinone it really needs a primary developing agent like Pheninone or Metol since it is very slow in its action.
 
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