A computer-aided method comprising various electrochemical measurements and continuous measurement of the dissolution rates of metal using a radiotracer technique with synchronous processing of the data obtained was used to study the effect of hydrogen absorbed by nickel during preliminary cathodic polarization and corrosion on the subsequent anodic behaviour of the metal in 0.5 M H2SO4 solution. It was found that during the initial period of potentiostatic polarization, preferential hydrogen ionization is limited by the non-steady state diffusion of hydrogen to the metal surface, while the dissolution of nickel is strongly inhibited. The beneficial influence of this inhibiting effect of hydrogen on the electrochemical and corrosion behaviour of nickel is discussed.