What happens to silver bromide during the development stage?

• A. Unexposed silver bromide is removed
• B. Silver bromide remains unchanged
• C. Silver bromide becomes gold
• D. Exposed silver bromide is changed into metallic silver

Answer: (D)

Development converts exposed silver bromide crystals in the film emulsion into metallic silver, creating the visible image. The developer supplies electrons that reduce the silver ions in the exposed grains, so only the areas that absorbed X-rays turn into metallic silver and become darker. The unexposed silver bromide grains stay largely unchanged during development and are later removed during the fixing stage to clear the background. So, the correct description is that exposed silver bromide is changed into metallic silver. The other statements don’t fit because unexposed grains aren’t removed during development, grains don’t turn gold, and exposed grains aren’t left unchanged.