Provided are: a phosphorescent material which exhibits excellent horizontal orientation properties and so on when formed into a thin film; a process for producing the phosphorescent material with high efficiency; and a light-emitting element produced using the phosphorescent material. A phosphorescent material represented by general formula (1), a process for producing the phosphorescent material, and a light-emitting element produced using the phosphorescent material, each of which is characterized in that the phosphorescent material has a linear conjugated structure, a 2-phenylpyridine ligand, a center metal and a beta-diketone type ligand in the molecule thereof. In general formula (1), R1 and R2, which are terminal substituents, independently represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, or the like; a to l and o to s independently represent a hydrogen atom, or the like; M, which is the center metal, represents platinum or the like; m and n, which are the numbers of repeats, independently represent an integer of 0 to 4.