Nullity of a graph with a cut-edge

Abstract

The nullity of a graph is known to be an analytical tool to predict reactivity and conductivity of molecular π-systems. In this paper we consider the change in nullity when graphs with a cut-edge, and others derived from them, undergo geometrical operations. In particular, we consider the deletion of edges and vertices, the contraction of edges and the insertion of an edge at a coalescence vertex. We also derive three inequalities on the nullity of graphs along the same lines as the consequences of the Interlacing Theorem. These results shed light, in the tight-binding source and sink potential model, on the behaviour of molecular graphs which allow or bar conductivity in the cases when the connections are either distinct or ipso.