ABSTRACT
It is well known that the shape or steric configuration of a molecule have a profound influence on physical properties and biological activity. The quantitation of this structural attribute, however, has proven to be quite elusive. A need for the quantitation of steric configuration or molecular shape has been recognized by medicinal chemists and some methods have been developed in recent years. We describe in this chapter an approach that was introduced a decade ago and that has found some utility in quantitating molecular shape.
