clean-up

analytical procedure for the removal of the matrix components (e.g. fats, proteins, high-boiling point hydrocarbons) that, if co-introduced on a chromatographic column would lead to their degradation or destruction. Clean-up is usually realized by low-resolution chromatographic separation with a mechanism different to that employed for the analytical separation (e.g. passing through a reversed phase of polar compounds to be separated by ion-exchange).