Methyl groups are rarely acidic. But in a lumazine derivative with biological significance the position-7 methyl group can be deprotonated. The existence of two protonation states is a prerequisite for a non-classical disproportionation reaction initiated by light. We provide evidence for such dismutation using a variant of nuclear magnetic resonance that is capable of detecting nuclear hyperpolarization. Our findings may shed new light on enzymatic riboflavin biosynthesis.