How do silver halides work?

Question

Ava Andrews · Accepted Answer

#Ag^(+) + X^(-) rarr AgX(s)darr# Well, when they form they precipitate out of solution with alacrity. #AgCl# is curdy white, #AgBr# is creamy yellow. #AgI# is bright yellow. These salts are photoactive (in fact they were used in early photography) so that upon standing, reduction to elemental silver (as dark spots) occurs.

Paisley Boney · Answer

undefined Silver halides work by reacting with light to form silver ions and halide ions, which leads to the creation of a latent image. This latent image can then be developed into a visible image through chemical processing.

Easton Jones · Answer

undefined Silver halides work by reacting with photons of light to form latent image centers. When exposed to light, silver halide crystals undergo a photochemical reaction where halide ions (such as bromide, chloride, or iodide) are converted into silver atoms. These silver atoms aggregate to form small clusters, known as latent image centers, within the crystal lattice of the silver halide.

This process occurs in photographic film or paper coated with a layer of silver halide crystals. After exposure to light, the film or paper contains these latent image centers, which are invisible to the naked eye. During development, the latent image centers are chemically reduced to metallic silver, resulting in a visible image. This image formation process is the basis of traditional film photography.