Photographic silver halide material containing a ballasted electron-donor precursor compound yielding by alkaline hydrolysis an electron-donor compound (ED-compound) capable (1) of donating electrons to an oxidized electron-accepting silver halide developing agent e.g. for scavenging it, said electron-donor precursor compound corresponding to the following general formula: ##STR1## wherein: R represents hydrogen or a substituent, e.g. an acyl group, which on hydrolytic removal allows the replacement of R by H,R.sup.1, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 (same or different) are hydrocarbon substituents or R.sup.3 is H, andZ and Y represent the necessary atoms to close a benzene ring that may be substituted or form a fused ring system.