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.
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 Dounce Dura Grind Tissue Grinder, 15 ml, 35 mm x 114 mm Mortor, 171 mm OAL
Wheaton Dura-Grind Stainless Steel Dounce Tissue Grinder provides a rugged alternative to glass Dounce tissue grinders. Smooth pestle action requires less effort than glass tissue grinders. This unit is precision machined of No. 316 stainless steel to the tolerance of 0.0005 in. (0.013 mm). The mortar has flat bottom allowing it to stand upright. Single pestle and mortar are supplied as a matched set; they are NOT autoclavable. Weight 2 lb (0.9 kg)
Size: 15 ml
Mortor: 35 mm x 114 mm
OAL: 171 mm
Electron Microscopy Sciences Tapered Tissue Grinder, 1 ml, 11 mm x 49 mm Mortor, 130 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: 1 ml
Mortor: 11 mm x 49 mm
OAL: 130 mm
Electron Microscopy Sciences Potter-Elvehjem Tissue Grinder Mortar, 5 ml, 13 mmx 66 mm Mortor, 219 mm OAL
Replacement part to use in Potter-Elvehjem tissue grinder.
Size: 5 ml
Mortor: 13 mmx 66 mm
OAL: 219 mm
Electron Microscopy Sciences Safe-Grind Potter-Elvehjem Tissue Grinder Mortar, 5 ml, 13 mmx 66 mm Mortor, 219 mm OAL
Replacement part to use in Potter-Elvehjem Safe-Grind tissue grinder.
Size: 5 ml
Mortor: 13 mmx 66 mm
OAL: 219 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 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
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 Mortar 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
Med Vet International Ceramic Mortar and Pestle, 4oz, J0932, Each
The pharmacy aid for crushing tablets into fine powder. Fine quality ceramic mortar and pestle. Smooth surface with pouring lip. 4 oz.
Electron Microscopy Sciences Green Pestle And 1.5 ml Tube
Disposable polyethylene pestles and 1.5 ml micro centrifuge tubes are used to resuspend precipitates such as protein of DNA pellets in buffer solution or to grind soft tissue. The pestles are in a matched fit for the tubes. These sets are excellent for processing large numbers of samples.
Chemplex Industries BALL PESTLES SS 12.7MM
CHEMPLEX BALL PESTLES: FOR SPECTROVIALS(TM) Comminution Vials, Stainless Steel, 12.7mm
Chemplex Industries BALL PESTLES SS 11MM
CHEMPLEX BALL PESTLES: FOR SPECTROVIALS(TM) Comminution Vials, Stainless Steel, 11mm
Revvity Health Sciences Inc Hard Tissue Homogenizing Mix 2.8 mm Ceramic (7 mL Tubes) Nuclease Free (50/pk)
Hard Tissue Homogenizing Mix 2.8 mm Ceramic (7 mL Tubes) Nuclease Free (50/pk)
Cole-Parmer Replacement Pestle/Mixer Adapter for Motor, 1 each
Use the battery-operated motor mixer with pestles and microtubes to drastically reduce hand fatigue when mixing multiple samples. Cell tissue and pellets are completely homogenized within seconds by means of high-speed vortexing action. Order pestles and tubes separately. The replacement rubber adapter, model 44468-26, is the adapter only, and is only compatible with the 44468-25 pestle mixer. This adapter atteches the motorized mixer to the pestle connector.