<p>Night-time reactions of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) and nitrate radicals (NO<sub>3</sub>) can lead to the formation of secondary organic aerosol (BSOA<sub>NO3</sub>). Here we study the impacts of light exposure on the chemical composition and volatility of BSOA<sub>NO3</sub> formed in the dark from three precursors (isoprene, α-pinene, and β-caryophyllene) in atmospheric simulation chamber experiments. Our study represents BSOA<sub>NO3</sub> formation conditions where reactions between peroxy radicals (RO<sub>2</sub> + RO<sub>2</sub>) and between RO<sub>2</sub> and NO<sub>3</sub> are favored. The emphasis here is on the identification of particle-phase organonitrates (ONs) formed in the dark and their changes during photolytic aging on timescales of ~1 h. Chemical composition of particle-phase compounds was measured with a chemical ionization mass spectrometer with filter inlet for gases and aerosols (FIGAERO-CIMS) and an extractive electrospray ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometer (EESI-TOF). Volatility information of BSOA<sub>NO3</sub> was derived from FIGAERO-CIMS desorption profiles (thermograms) and a volatility tandem differential mobility analyser (VTDMA). During photolytic aging, there was a relatively small change in mass due to evaporation (< 5 % for the isoprene and α-pinene BSOA<sub>NO3</sub>, 12 % for the β-caryophyllene BSOA<sub>NO3</sub>), but we observed significant changes in the chemical composition of the BSOA<sub>NO3</sub>. Overall, 53 %, 45 %, and 62 % of the total mass for the isoprene, α-pinene, and β-caryophyllene BSOA<sub>NO3</sub> was sensitive to photolytic aging and exhibited decay. The photolabile compounds include both monomers and oligomers. Oligomers can decompose into their monomer units through photolysis of the bonds (e.g. likely O-O) between them. Fragmentation of both oligomers and monomers also happened at other positions, causing the formation of compounds with shorter carbon skeletons. The cleavage of the nitrate functional group from the carbon chain was likely not a main degradation pathway in our experiments. In addition, photolytic degradation of compounds changes their volatility, and can lead to evaporation. We used different methods to assess bulk volatilities and discuss their changes during both dark aging and photolysis in context of the chemical changes we observed. We also reveal large uncertainties in saturation vapor pressure estimated from parameterization for the ON oligomers with multiple nitrate groups. Overall, our results suggest that photolysis causes photodegradation of a substantial fraction of BSOA<sub>NO3</sub>, changes both the chemical composition and the bulk volatility of the particles, and might be a potentially important loss pathway of BSOA<sub>NO3</sub> during the night-to-day transition.</p>