The electrolyte composition and the electrodic conditions have a major effect on the entry of electrolytic hydrogen into metals. In the case of ferrous metals there is a large body of literature and various promoters have been identified. Only a few inhibitors have been found, such as organic nitriles. This paper reports the complete inhibition of the entry of hydrogen into iron by UPD Zn in concentrated alkali solutions. Less is known about the effect of electrolyte on the entry of hydrogen into palladium. The present work shows that many of the known promoters for ferrous metals actually inhibit the entry and egress of hydrogen from palladium. Permeation results on a Pd membrane in pure 0.1 M NaOH indicate that only 20% of the surface is used for the entry of hydrogen into the metal. In 0.1 M NaOH + 10{sup {minus}3} M NaCN it drops to 5%. The fraction of the surface used strongly depends on electrolyte purity. Impurity effects can account for the discrepant results for electrochemical hydrogen loading of Pd