Heavy ion reactions /Actinide targets /Fast radiochemical separation /Ra to Am AbstractA procedure is presented for a relatively fast (20 to 30 min) separation of trace amounts of americium, plutonium, neptunium, uranium, protactinium, thorium, actinium and radium. Isotopes of these elements, produced in heavy ion reactions with actinide targets and collected by recoil in copper catcher foils, can be separated from each other and from contaminating activities. The element fractions were sufficiently clean for determinations by gamma-ray and/or alpha spectroscopy.