The chemical used as a fixer/developer in photography is

The chemical used as a fixer/developer in photography is

Sodium sulphate
Sodium sulphide
Sodium thiosulphate
Sodium sulphite
This question was previously asked in
UPSC NDA-1 – 2015
The correct answer is Sodium thiosulphate. Sodium thiosulphate (Na₂S₂O₃), commonly known as “hypo”, is widely used as a fixer in traditional silver-halide photography.
In photography, after development (where exposed silver halide is converted to metallic silver), the fixer bath is used to remove the *unexposed* silver halide crystals from the film or paper. Sodium thiosulphate dissolves these unexposed crystals, making the image permanent and no longer sensitive to light. While Sodium sulphite can be a component of developer solutions (as a preservative), Sodium thiosulphate is the primary chemical used as a *fixer*. Given the “fixer/developer” phrasing and the options, sodium thiosulphate is the most definitive answer for a chemical used in one of these key steps, specifically fixing.
Developer solutions typically contain chemicals like Metol and Hydroquinone (reducing agents), Sodium sulphite (preservative), Borax (accelerator), and Potassium bromide (restrainer). Fixer solutions typically contain Sodium thiosulphate or Ammonium thiosulphate.
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