Semiheavy water is the result of replacing one of the protium (normal hydrogen, 1H) in normal water with deuterium (2H; or D). It exists whenever there is water with 1H and 2H in the mix. This is because hydrogen atoms (1,2H) are rapidly exchanged between water molecules. Water with 50% 1H and 50% 2H, is about 50% H2HO and 25% each of H2O and 2H2O, in dynamic equilibrium. In normal water, about 1 molecule in 3,200 is HDO (1H2HO) (one hydrogen in 6,400 is 2H). By comparison, heavy water D2O or 2H2O occurs at a proportion of about 1 molecule in 41 million (i.e., 1 in 6,4002). This makes semiheavy water far more common than "normal" heavy water.
The freezing point of semiheavy water is close to the freezing point of heavy water at 3.81°C compared to the 3.82°C of heavy water.