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.
Research Products International Corp PolyPestle Double-Sided Pestle, Sterile, Individually Wrapped, 50 per Package
PolyPestle is a dual purpose, disposable polypropylene sample preparation tool.
The conical end is optimized for grinding biological samples, homogenizing cells and resuspending pellets in 1.5mL tubes.
The convex end is 11mm in diameter and is designed specifically to assist in preparing cells within a disposable cell strainer environment for flow cytometric analysis and sorting. Its dimpled surface is ideal for manipulating the sample material to be cell sorted and improving cell preparation overall. Ultimately, this results in enhanced sort purity, yield and cell viability.
PolyPestles are sterile (gamma), individually wrapped in easy-open paper/plastic peel packs and are free of RNase and DNase.
Electron Microscopy Sciences Tapered Tissue "PTFE" Pestle only, 3 ml, 11 mm x 86 mm Mortor, 220 mm OAL
Replacement parts for Tapered Tissue Grinder with stainless steel rod pestle.
Size: 3 ml
Mortor: 11 mm x 86 mm
OAL: 220 mm
Electron Microscopy Sciences Tapered Tissue "PTFE" Pestle only, 5 ml, 13 mm x 93 mm Mortor, 220 mm OAL
Replacement parts for Tapered Tissue Grinder with stainless steel rod pestle.
Size: 5 ml
Mortor: 13 mm x 93 mm
OAL: 220 mm
Electron Microscopy Sciences Tapered Tissue "PTFE" Pestle only, 15 ml, 18 mm x 114 mm Mortor, 240 mm OAL
Replacement parts for Tapered Tissue Grinder with stainless steel rod pestle.
Size: 15 ml
Mortor: 18 mm x 114 mm
OAL: 240 mm
Electron Microscopy Sciences Potter-Elvehjem Tissue Grinder PTFE with Radial Serrations, 10 ml, 16 mmx 74 mm Mortor, 219 mm OAL
Potter-Elvehjem Tissue Grinder incorporates a serrated pestle design to disperse homogenate into the mortar cylinder. Standard unit with Teflon pestles are well suited for soft tissue, such as brain and liver.
The tissue grinder are precisely constructed with completely interchangeable parts to allow easier cleaning or replacement of damaged mortars. This unit is autoclavable and can be used for power homogenization as with overhead stirrer. Depth of the serration is 0.20" to 0.25" (0.1 to 0.15 mm).
Size: 10 ml
Mortor: 16 mmx 74 mm
OAL: 219 mm
Electron Microscopy Sciences Potter-Elvehjem Tissue Grinder PTFE Radial Serrations, 55 ml, 30 mmx 130 mm Mortor, 266 mm OAL
Potter-Elvehjem Tissue Grinder incorporates a serrated pestle design to disperse homogenate into the mortar cylinder. Standard unit with Teflon pestles are well suited for soft tissue, such as brain and liver.
The tissue grinder are precisely constructed with completely interchangeable parts to allow easier cleaning or replacement of damaged mortars. This unit is autoclavable and can be used for power homogenization as with overhead stirrer. Depth of the serration is 0.20" to 0.25" (0.1 to 0.15 mm).
Size: 55 ml
Mortor: 30 mmx 130 mm
OAL: 266 mm
Electron Microscopy Sciences Potter-Elvehjem Tissue Grinder PTFE with Radial Serrations, 5 ml, 13 mmx 66 mm Mortor, 219 mm OAL
Potter-Elvehjem Tissue Grinder incorporates a serrated pestle design to disperse homogenate into the mortar cylinder. Standard unit with Teflon pestles are well suited for soft tissue, such as brain and liver.
The tissue grinder are precisely constructed with completely interchangeable parts to allow easier cleaning or replacement of damaged mortars. This unit is autoclavable and can be used for power homogenization as with overhead stirrer. Depth of the serration is 0.20" to 0.25" (0.1 to 0.15 mm).
Size: 5 ml
Mortor: 13 mmx 66 mm
OAL: 219 mm
Electron Microscopy Sciences Tenbroeck Tissue Grinder, 7 ml, 16 mm x 62 mm Mortor, 190 mm OAL
Glass Tenbroeck tissue grinders are ideal for grinding liver, heart, and intestine tissue. The grinders are precision made and have interchangeable pestles and tubes so there is no need to keep the components matched and parts are easily replacable. The clearance between pestle and tube is 0.0035 to 0.0065" (0.09 – 0.16 mm). While this grinder is designed for hand operation, it can be slow speed motor-driven by inserting a rubber stopper (side 00) and metal rod into pestle. This unit also features an expanded reservoir and pouring lip. Made from Wheaton 33 borosilicate glass. The hollow pestle can be pack with ice. Autoclavable.
Size: 7 ml
Mortor: 16 mm x 62 mm
OAL: 190 mm
Electron Microscopy Sciences Potter-Elvehjem Micro Tissue Grinder, 0.1 ml, 4 mm x 65 mm Mortor, 110 mm OAL
Similar to the all glass Potter-Elvehjem style, but micro size is for extremely precise work. This unit is designed for delicate hand operation. Clearance between pestle and tube is 0.004" to 0.006" (0.1 – 015 mm). Made from Wheaton 33 low extractable borosilicate glass. Reservoir and pouring lip are incorporated into the design. Unit is autoclavable.
Size: 0.1 ml
Mortor: 4 mm x 65 mm
OAL: 110 mm
Electron Microscopy Sciences Tapered Tissue Grinder, 3 ml, 11 mmx 86 mm Mortor, 220 mm OAL
This is new design grinder with longer tapered surface on both the mortar and pestle, offering grinding more efficient and less time require. The conical surface allows initial size reduction followed by passage through the cylindrical section for the final homogenization step. It is ideal for homogenization of connective tissue including heart, muscle and lung, as well as skin and plant tissue.
Made from Wheaton 33 low extractable borosilicate glass. Interchangeable components takes the hassle out of matching parts. Unit is autoclavable. When the pestle is "bottomed" within the mortar, the clearance is uniform 0.004" to 0.006” (0.1 to 0.15 mm).
Size: 3 ml
Mortor: 11 mmx 86 mm
OAL: 220 mm
Electron Microscopy Sciences Mortar for Tapered Tissue Grinder, 15 ml, 18 mmx 114 mm Mortor, 240 mm OAL
Replacement parts for Tapered tissue grinder.
Size: 15 ml
Mortor: 18 mmx 114 mm
OAL: 240 mm
Electron Microscopy Sciences Mortar for Tapered Tissue Grinder, 1 ml, 11 mm x 49 mm Mortor, 130 mm OAL
Replacement parts for Tapered tissue grinder.
Size: 1 ml
Mortor: 11 mm x 49 mm
OAL: 130 mm
Electron Microscopy Sciences Potter-Elvehjem Tissue Grinder Pestle, 30 ml, 24 mmx 118 mm Mortor, 266 mm OAL
Replacement part to use in Potter-Elvehjem tissue grinder.
Size: 30 ml
Mortor: 24 mmx 118 mm
OAL: 266 mm
Electron Microscopy Sciences Safe-Grind Potter-Elvehjem Tissue Grinder Mortar, 10 ml, 16 mmx 74 mm Mortor, 219 mm OAL
Replacement part to use in Potter-Elvehjem Safe-Grind tissue grinder.
Size: 10 ml
Mortor: 16 mmx 74 mm
OAL: 219 mm
Electron Microscopy Sciences Tapered Tissue "PTFE" Pestle only, 1 ml, Mortor, 130 mm OAL
Replacement parts for Tapered Tissue Grinder with stainless steel rod pestle.
Size: 1 ml
OAL: 130 mm