Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/04/26
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]>>Both D-76 and ID-11 are, unless my memory fails me, metol-hydroquinone >>based developers (and are, for all intents and purposes, identical). >> >>Metol is the substance to which people can become sensitized. Phenidone >>based developers are the usual replacement. > >Half right. Phenodine is the non-allergenic substance unlike what I said >before, and that's what ID-11 plus uses. That's the only difference between >the two. The developer characteristics are almost identical. I got curious and checked. According the data I found on Ilford's web site (Check the MSDS data at the end of http://www.ilford.com/html/us_english/pdf/film_chem.pdf), ID-11 is metol/hydroquinone based, and is a virtual duplicate of D-76. There have been, over time, several different versions of this basic developer. Most of the changes have been in the buffering used. ID-11+, which is now discontinued, was some variation on the basic D-76 formula, with some agent which Ilford called BZT added. ID-11+ was apparently discontinued because the additive interfered with getting good results with TMax films. (the last is based on stuff I recall hearing, not firsthand knowledge). Ilford's Microphen is a phenidone/hydroquinone based developer. To my surprise, Ilfosol-S is sodium ascorbate/hydroquinone. - -Paul