Nitrogen-containing aromatic compounds and organic electroluminescent device

A nitrogen-containing aromatic compound, which is represented by the general formula (2):

• in the formula (2):
• ring A represents an aromatic ring represented by the formula (1a) and fused with two adjacent rings at arbitrary positions;
• ring B represents a heterocycle represented by the formula (1b) and fused with two adjacent rings at arbitrary positions;
• Y's each represent C—R or N, provided that one to four of Y's each represent N;
• X's each represent N—Z;
• R represents hydrogen, an alkyl group having 1 to 30 carbon atoms, a cycloalkyl group having 3 to 30 carbon atoms, an alkenyl group having 2 to 30 carbon atoms, an alkynyl group having 2 to 30 carbon atoms, an aromatic hydrocarbon group having 6 to 50 carbon atoms, or an aromatic heterocyclic group having 3 to 50 carbon atoms and free of a fused heterocycle having four or more rings;
• and
• Z represents a monovalent group produced by removing hydrogen from dibenzofuran or dibenzothiophene, wherein the dibenzofuran and dibenzothiophene may have a substituent, and the substituent is an alkyl group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, a cycloalkyl group having 3 to 20 carbon atoms, an alkoxy group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, an acyl group having 2 to 20 carbon atoms, a dialkylamino group having 2 to 20 carbon atoms, a diarylamino group having 6 to 28 carbon atoms, a phosphanyl group having 6 to 18 carbon atoms, or a silyl group having 3 to 18 carbon atoms.