Graph-theoretical analysis of molecular properties. Isomeric variations in nonanes

Paths of length two and three appear to dominate variations in isomers of alkanes when various physical and chemical molecular properties are compared. The regularities previously observed for octanes have been fully examined for the set of 35 nonane isomers C₉H₂₀. Such examinations are facilitated by construction of appropriate grid graphs with paths of length two and three, respectively, representing molecules and connecting such points along the grid axes. By ordering structures in the two-dimensional coordinate plane, various trends and regular changes in the relative magnitudes for the selected thermodynamic properties have been traced to molecular connectivity and topology.