It is an object of the present invention to provide a light-emitting substance which is resistant to repetition of an oxidation reaction. It is another object of the invention to provide a light-emitting element which is resistant to repetition of a reduction reaction. An aspect of the present invention is an anthracene derivative represented by a general formula (1). In the general formula (1), R1 represents hydrogen or an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms; R2 represents any one of hydrogen, an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and an aryl group having 6 to 12 carbon atoms, which may have a substituent or no substituent; Ph1 represents a phenyl group, which may have a substituent or no substituent; and X1 represents an arylene group having 6 to 15 carbon atoms. ##STR00001##