The invention relates to a silver halide photographic emulsion comprising silver halide grains and the reductone of Formula I ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are the same or different, and may represent H, alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, or an alkyl group with a solubilizing group such as --OH, sulfonamide, sulfamoyl, or carbamoyl, R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 may be joined to complete a heterocyclic ring such as aziridinyl, azetidinyl, pyrrolidinyl, piperidinyl, morpholinyl, piperazinyl, or pyridinyl, R.sub.4 and R.sub.5 are H, OH, alkyl, aryl, cycloalkyl, or may together represent an alkylidene group, n is 1 or 2 and R.sub.3 is H, alkyl, aryl, or CO.sub.2 R.sub.6 where R.sub.6 is alkyl, and wherein the logarithm of the partition coefficient for the reductone when equilibrated as a solute between n-octanol and water (logP) is less than 0.293.