Statistical theory of spectra: Statistical moments as descriptors in the   theory of molecular similarity
  Statistical moments of the intensity distributions are used as molecular descriptors. They are used as a basis for defining similarity distances between two model spectra. Parameters which carry the information derived from the comparison of shapes of the spectra and are related to the number of properties taken into account, are defined. 
Dorota Bielinska-Waz, Piotr Waz, Subhash C. Basak