| Frank Spedding | |
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Frank Spedding
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| Born | 22 October 1902 Hamilton, Ontario |
| Died | 15 December 1984 |
| Nationality | United States |
| Institutions | Cornell Iowa State University Ames Laboratory |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan(1925) University of California (Ph.D. 1929) |
| Known for | Thermite process |
| Influences | Gilbert N. Lewis |
Frank Harold Spedding (1902 – 1984) was a Canadian chemist who led a group of chemists at Ames Laboratory which developed an efficient process for obtaining high purity uranium from uranium halides. The general technique is known as the Thermite process, or more specifically, the Ames process. This process was developed in 1942 and was used to produce two tons of pure uranium in support of the Manhattan Project.
Prior to his work on uranium, he developed an ion exchange method of separating and purifying rare earth elements using ion exchange resins. After World War II, Spedding used of ion exchange to separate isotopes of individual elements, including hundreds of grams of almost pure nitrogen-15[1].
He was awarded the Francis J. Clamer Medal in 1969.