The Wiener Index: Development and Applications

The definitions and methods of computing the Wiener index are reviewed. It is pointed out that the Wiener index is a useful topological index in the structure-property relationship because it is a measure of the compactness of a molecule in terms of its structural chracteristics, such as branching and cyclicity. A comparative study between the Wiener index and several of the commonly used topological indices in the structure-boiling point relationship revealed that the Wiener index is, in this case, rather inferior to most indices, a result that has been observed by other authors as well. New developments, such as an extension of the Wiener index to its three-dimensional version are also mentioned