With this formula, the shadows seem to come up very rapidly during development so that if it is desired to cut down the developing time to give a soft negative this can be done without too great loss of emulsion speed.
This developer is said to be suitable for re-development in chromium intensification but it has been the writer’s experience (that is Edmund W. Lowe’s experience) that the amidol formula (Formula B) is preferable because it produces less increase in grain size.
For the actual formula, see Windisch’s Pyrocatechol Compensating Developer.