The average cross sections for52Fe production from the bombardment of 588‐MeV protons on manganese, cobalt, nickel, and copper targets were measured as 0.066±0.013, 0.152±0.012, 1.35±0.30, and 0.148±0.013 mb, respectively. A simple chemical procedure for the dissolution of the target in mineral acid and the extraction of52Fe into di‐isopropyl ether is described. The long‐lived radiocontaminants in an52Fe product from a single extraction of a nickel target irradiated for 0.5 h were44Sc (0.02%),44mSc (0.11%),47Sc (0.01%),48V (0.14%),55Fe (3.3%), and59Fe (0.16%).