An information recording and reproducing apparatus, includes: a recording layer including a first layer including a first compound, the first compound being a conjugated compound including at least two types of cation elements, at least one selected from the cation elements being a transition element having a d orbit incompletely filled by electrons, a shortest distance between adjacent cation elements being not more than 0.32 nm; a voltage application unit that applies a voltage to the recording layer, produces a phase change in the recording layer, and records information; an electrode layer that applies a voltage to the recording layer; and an orientation control layer provided between the recording layer and the electrode layer to control an orientation of the recording layer.