 The Ames process was used on August 3, 1942, by a group of chemists led by Frank Spedding and Harley Wilhelm at the Ames Laboratory as part of the Manhattan Project.It is a type of thermite-based purification, which was patented in 1895 by German chemist Hans Goldschmidt.Development of the Ames process came at a time of increased research into mass uranium-metal production.