NOVELTY - Electrolytic hydrogen is produced using a rare element-deposit electrode, by electrolytically reducing a nitric acid solution containing ions of any one element consisting of rare element fission products of ruthenium, rhodium, or palladium, and a rare element of rhenium by electrolyzing at a constant current to deposit the ions of the element on an electrode; and electrolyzing alkaline water by using the obtained electrodeposit electrode.    USE - The method is for electrolytic hydrogen production, useful in e.g. fuel cell vehicles and fuel cell power generation systems.    ADVANTAGE - The electrodeposit electrode can be directly used as it is, without need of adjustment of the components and reprocessing of the forms of the deposits on the electrode, as a catalytic electrode for generating hydrogen using electrolysis of alkaline water, and hydrogen can be effectively produced by using such a catalytic electrode. The method is simple, so that it comes to be possible to hold down the costs for design and construction of a plant, and the cost for producing hydrogen. Because merely electrochemical steps are involved, organic solvents need not be used in principle, so that the safety of the processes can be maintained at a high level, and the secondary waste generation amount can be made extremely small. The catalytic electrode in which ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, and rhenium are electrodeposited exhibits a catalytic activity comparable with or better than those of the nickel and titanium electrodes conventionally used for electrolytic production of hydrogen. It exhibits a catalytic activity comparable to that of platinum, which is excellent in catalytic activity among all the catalysts. Thus, the catalytic electrode concerned can largely improve the economical efficiency of the electrolytic hydrogen production process as an alternative catalyst for nickel, titanium, and platinum.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - Electrolytic hydrogen production using a rare element-deposit electrode, comprises electrolytically reducing a nitric acid solution containing ions of any one element consisting of rare element fission products (FP) of ruthenium, rhodium, or palladium, and a rare element of rhenium by electrolyzing at a constant current to deposit the ions of the element on an electrode; and electrolyzing alkaline water by using the obtained electrodeposit electrode as a catalytic electrode, to generate hydrogen.    DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING(S) - The figure is an illustrative diagram showing an electrolysis apparatus used in electrolytic hydrogen production.    Cathode chamber (1)    Cathode (1a)    Anode chamber (2)    Anode (2a)    Salt bridge (5)