"Most, yet not all, chemical substances consist of molecules. The fact that molecules have a "structure" is known since the middle of the 19th century. Since then, one of the principal goals of chemistry is to establish the relationships between the chemical and physical properties of substance and the structure of the corresponding molecules. Countless results along these lines have been obtained and presented in different publications in this field. One group uses so-called topological indices. About 20 years ago, there were dozens of topological indices, but only a few with noteworthy chemical applications. Over time, their numbers have increased enormously. At this moment there is no theory that could serve as a reliable guide for solving this problem. This book is aimed at giving a reasonable comprehensive survey of the present, fin de siecle, state of art theory and practice of topological indices."--BOOK JACKET.