Poly(p-dioxanone) with an inherent viscosity of over 1 dL/g has been synthesized using the cyclic tin alkoxide 1-di-n-butyl-1-stanna-2,5-dioxacyclopentane as initiator. Poly(p-dioxanone) was synthesized in bulk and the results have been compared with polymerizations using tin (II) 2-ethylhexanoate (Sn(Oct)(2)) as catalyst. Sn(Oct)(2) has often been reported to be an effective catalyst for the synthesis of poly(p-dioxanone), but here it is compared with an initiator which is less prone to catalyze transesterification reactions. The results demonstrate that the cyclic tin initiator is a promising alternative for the synthesis of poly(p-dioxanone) with a high inherent viscosity. Poly(p-dioxanone) is a polymer with mechanical properties and a degradation rate suitable for tissue engineering applications. Both the cyclic tin initiator and Sn(Oct)(2) gave, under some reaction conditions, inherent viscosities around 1 dL/g. The best polymer synthesized using the cyclic tin initiator had a strain-at-break of 515% and a stress-at-break of 43 MPa. The inherent viscosity of this polymer was 1.16 dL/g, while Sn(Oct)(2) resulted in a polymer with an inherent viscosity less than 0.4 dL/g under the same reaction conditions. (c) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.