The invention provides methods of disintegrating or reducing the particle size of elemental materials, such as various forms of carbon, and organic crystals that contain minerals and that do not contain minerals. The method include the steps of entraining the material in a gas flow through an inlet of a housing, subjecting the flowing material to a plurality of alternating pressure increases and decreases within the housing, disintegrating the flowing material with the pressure increases and decreases, thereby reducing the mean particle size of the material, and discharging the disintegrated material though an outlet of the housing.