D-23--Would it benefit from a chemical buffer?

Film developer D-23 has but two ingredients, metol and sodium sulfite. Would buffering the system produce better results? I am confused as to whether the buffering agent should be sodium metabisulfite, sodium metaborate or sodium bisulfite.

It is sodium bisulfite in D25 (identical recipes, just add 15g sodium bisulfite per litre of developer). It can be replaced with potassium metabisulfite by increasing volume an additional 6% over the recommended amount of sodium sulfite or with sodium bisulfite by reducing its volume to 91% that of the sodium sulfite.

D-23 has a buffer, it is the sodium sulfite. This chemical has several uses in photography. If you add another buffering agent then it's not D-23 any more.

D-25 works by lowering the development rate below that of D-23. Therefore the film must remain in the developer longer causing greater solvent action.

There's no intrinsic need to buffer. D-23 is complete unto itself.

I agree with Gerald and CBG. There is no need need to buffer D-23.

Further, Sodium Bisulfite and Sodium metabisulfite (they're same thing) are not really buffers. They would lower the pH of D-23 and make something completely different (D-25) as Christophe noted.

Sodium Metaborate would be a good buffer but, it too is not necessary and would alter the activity of D-23.

Best to leave a good thing alone.