To obtain an aromatic methylidene compound useful as a light-emitting material of an organic electroluminescent element, and to obtain a raw material for the compound, to provide a method for the production of the compound, and the organic electroluminescent element produced by using the compound.

This invention relates to a compound of formula (1) and the organic electroluminescent element produced by using the compound. In formula (1), R1 and R2 are each an unsubstituted or substituted alkyl, an unsubstituted or substituted alkoxy, a halogen, cyano or nitro; n1 is 0-3; n2 is 0-9; and R3 and R4 are each H, an unsubstituted or substituted alkyl, an unsubstituted or substituted cycloalkyl, an unsubstituted or substituted aromatic group or an unsubstituted or substituted aromatic heterocyclic group or R3and R4 together form a ring obtained by condensing unsubstituted or substituted aromatic rings or unsubstituted or substituted aromatic heterocyclic groups. The compound can be produced from an aldehyde compound as a pyrene of formula (6-1) and a phosphorus compound of formula (3) (Z is PO(OR)2, or the like; and R is an alkyl, or the like).