Mortars and Pestles
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.
Walter Stern Agate Mortar and Pestle Sets
Ideal for preparing laboratory samples and high purity powders.
Fisherbrand™ Porcelain Pestle with Wooden Handle
For 1100mL mortar
Fisherbrand™ Pestle
Pestle
Fisherbrand™ Buret Stand
Length 335mm Buret Stand Base Porcelain
Thermo Scientific Chemicals Agate Mortar and Pestle
For preparing samples for the Quick Press
Thermo Scientific Chemicals Wig-L-Bug™ Mixing/Grinding Mill Accessory, Ball Pestles, 9.52mm Dia.
For use with Wig-L-Bug Mixing/Grinding Mill (AA42627KT)
Thermo Scientific™ Wig-L-Bug™ Mixing/Grinding Mill Accessory, Stainless-Steel Vial
For use with Wig-L-Bug Mixing/Grinding Mill (AA42627KT)
Thermo Scientific Chemicals Ball pestle; clear plexiglas; 1/8in. diameter
For use with Wig-L-Bug Mixing/Grinding Mill (AA44204KT and AA44604KT)
BUCHI Agate Mortar and Pestle Set
Agate mortar and pestle for high purity sample crushing. The polished surface is easy to clean and prevents cross-contaminations.
BRAND™ Mortar and Pestle, Mortar Only
Mortars made from melamine formaldehyde resin. Suitable for crushing and grinding of various materials.
Bel-Art™ SP Scienceware™ Liquid Nitrogen-Cooled Mortar
Useful for grinding frozen samples, this product includes a heavily insulated blue polyethylene housing that keeps liquid nitrogen cold longer.
Bel-Art™ SP Scienceware™ Double-Ended Pestle
For effective and economical disaggregation of soft tissue to produce cell isolates for culture or flow cytometry.
Bel-Art™ SP Scienceware™ Liquid Nitrogen-Cooled Mini Mortar
Freeze and process tiny tissue samples within a microcentrifuge tube
Bel-Art™ SP Scienceware™ Microcentrifuge Tube Opener
For opening all sizes of tubes.