Question

What is the difference between a molecular formula and a molecular model?

Answer 1

 Molecular compounds, which are represented by molecules, are usually made of non-metals only (or of metalloids and non-metals). Ionic compounds, which are represented by formula units, are made of metals and non-metals. 

More detail if you're interested: Molecules and formula units are the representative particles for molecular and ionic compounds, respectively. By that I mean, one unit of a molecular compound is a molecule...a bundle of atoms covalently bonded that exists separately from all the other molecules. One unit of an ionic compound is a formula unit. A formula unit is a representation of the compound's formula. For example, the formula unit of NaCl is one Na^+1 ion and one Cl^-1 ion. The formula unit of AlCl3 is one Al^+3 ion and three Cl^-1 ions. Ionic compounds don't have separate bundles of atoms like molecular compounds do, so the formula unit is just the smallest number of ions that it takes to represent the formula.