Organic nitrates (ONs) are crucial constituents of secondary organic aerosols (SOAs). The liquid-phase degradation of ONs alters the light-absorbing properties of aerosols, thereby influencing the direct radiative effect (DRE) and climate dynamics. Alkyl nitrates (ANs) contribute most of ONs. Previous studies have shown that hydrolysis and center dot OH-initiated oxidation are two competing degradation pathways for ANs, with oxidation being the dominant mechanism under weakly acidic or weakly alkaline conditions. However, experimental center dot OH concentrations (ppm) are ten orders of magnitude higher than actual, likely underestimating hydrolysis's contribution. Using propyl nitrate isomers as proxies, we combined liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and quantum calculations to re-explore AN's degradation at pH 1-8. Our results show that hydrolysis dominates at realistic center dot OH levels. Specifically, compared to previous experimental results, hydrolysis is underestimated by 80 % under pH 4-8, resulting in underrating AN's lifetime by 5 orders. Consequently, the resulting light-absorbing attenuation of aerosol will be disregarded, possibly leading to inaccurate DRE and climate effect as-sessments in oceanic/desert regions where aerosols at pH 4-8 predominates. Our research emphasizes the need to re-evaluate the role of hydrolysis in predicting the fate of ANs and the light-absorbing properties of aerosols.