Mortars and Pestles
Tools used to grind and crush substances into fine powders or pastes, Mortars are bowl-shaped containers and pestles are heavy, rod-shaped tools. Commonly sold as sets but also available separately, mortar and pestle sets may include mortars, pestles, adapters, housings, or other items in several materials.
Mortar and pestle implements have been used since ancient times to crush and grind substances. Mortars can be made of hard materials like wood, metal, ceramic, or hard stone such as granite or marble. Pestles are held in the hand and usually have a tapered, club-like shape. A wet or dry substance is placed in the mortar and the pestle is pressed against it and rotated until the material is pulverized.
What Is the Best Material for a Mortar and Pestle?
The implements must be made of materials that are hard enough to crush the substance without wearing away, but they cannot be brittle or break from the pressure of manipulation. The material should also be cohesive to reduce chipping and non-porous to avoid absorbing or trapping substances. Some rough porcelain mortars and pestles can reduce substances to very fine powders, but are brittle and stain more easily. Porcelain mortars can be pre-conditioned by grinding sand in them to produce a rougher surface. Glass mortars and pestles are stain-resistant and suitable for liquids, but are fragile and do not grind as finely as ceramic sets. Metal mortars and pestles are popular for food preparation.
Mortars and pestles are commonly used to grind and mix substances for dilution, to mask negative qualities, or to add volume to facilitate handling. Drugs can also be finely ground when not available in liquid form, and supplements can be processed to for addition to parenteral nutrition.
Bel-Art™ Disposable Polypropylene Pestles
For re-suspending bacterial cells, precipitates of nucleic acids or proteins and pellets of other materials.
Eisco™ Mortar and Pestle Set
Features a flat bottom, unglazed grinding surfaces, and spout for easy pouring. Eisco™ Mortar and Pestle Set is made from lab quality porcelain and designed for efficient and uniform grinding of various materials.
Fisherbrand™ Buret Stand
Length 335mm Buret Stand Base Porcelain
Thermo Scientific Chemicals Ball pestle; clear plexiglas; 1/8in. diameter
For use with Wig-L-Bug Mixing/Grinding Mill (AA44204KT and AA44604KT)
Invitrogen™ QuantiGene™ Homogenizing Solution
QuantiGene Homogenizing Solution is used to prepare tissue homogenates from fresh, frozen, or formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues.
Bel Art™ Double-Ended Pestle
For effective and economical disaggregation of soft tissue to produce cell isolates for culture or flow cytometry.
Eisco™ Thick Walled Mortar and Pestle Set
Eisco™ Thick Walled Mortar and Pestle Set is made from lab quality porcelain and feature a thick wall design, flat bottom, unglazed grinding surfaces for efficient grinding, and spout for easy pouring.
United Scientific™ Mortar and Pestle Set, Agate Stone
The Mortar and Pestle Set features a highly polished grinding surface made of naturally hard agate stone.
United Scientific™ Mortar & Pestle Set, Porcelain, Fully Glazed
United Scientific™ Mortar & Pestle Set feature deep form mortars with lips are fully glazed on the inside and outside.
Supertek Scientific Porcelain Mortars and Pestles
Motor with spout.
CerCo Diamonite™ Mortar and Pestle Sets
Synthetic sapphire mortars offer excellent hardness and chemical resistance
United Scientific Supplies Porcelain Mortar and Pestle Set
Porcelain Mortar and Pestle Set is neatly glazed for a consistent finish.
Cole-Parmer Mortar and Pestle Set, porcelain, 50 mL
Mortar features lip and spout, and is glazed on the outside (except the bottom). Oversized pestle is also glazed (except the grinding surface). Mortar and pestle are sold as a set. Autoclavable
Cole-Parmer Mortar and Pestle Set, Porcelain; 300 mL, Each
Mortars are glazed on the outside and pestles are glazed to grinding surface. Features pouring spout for easy pouring. Both mortar and pestle are sold as a set.