A new method for approximating the total n-electron energy (E) of a conjuga
ted hydrocarbon by means of spectral moments is put forward. The method res
ults in expressions for E that are non-linear functions of spectral moments
. Applied to benzenoid hydrocarbons, a family of (n,m)-type approximate for
mulae for E is obtained (n = number of vertices, m = number of edges). (C)
2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.