Cross sections and corresponding momentum distributions have been measured for the first time at zero degrees for the exotic nuclei obtained from a beam of ¹⁸O at 8.5 MeV/A impinging on a 1 mg/cm²²³⁸U target. Sizable cross sections were found for the production of exotic species arising from the neutron transfer and proton removal from the projectile. Comparisons of experimental results with calculations based on deep-inelastic reaction models, taking into account the particle evaporation process, indicate that zero degree is a scattering angle at which the differential reaction cross section for production of exotic nuclei is at its maximum. This result is important in view of the new generation of zero degrees spectrometers under construction, such as the S3 separator at GANIL, for example.